Celebrities donate funds to help Haiti

Korean celebrities are rolling up their sleeves to help the victims of earthquake-stricken Haiti.

Cha In-pyo, 43, and Shin Ae-ra, 41, made a donation of 100 million won ($87,000) to victims of the quake via Compassion Korea, an international aid organization for children.

“We are making this donation in consideration of the urgency of the fact that so many of Haitians are dying of hunger and thirst at the moment,” Cha said in a telephone interview with the JoongAng Ilbo.

The couple has a special bond with the Caribbean country, where they have sponsored a 10-year-old girl named Westerline Theodore for the past five years. Since news of the quake broke, the couple has had difficulty determining if the girl is safe, Cha said.

Singer Sean and actress Jung Hye-young, another celebrity couple known for helping the poor and needy, were also reported to have contributed 1 million won to the same cause.