Shakira is one of several major artists that have collaborated on a new charity single, which will raise funds towards Habitat For Humanity's work with the victims of the recent earthquake in Chile.

The recording of 'Gracias a la Vida', a Chilean folk song by Violetta Parra, is due to be released in the next few weeks, via Warner. As well as Shakira, it features Michael Buble, Juanes, Alejandro Sanz, Juan Luiz Guerra, Laura Pausini, Fher, Miguel Bose and Humberto Gatica,

We'll let you know when we have a link to purchase the track.

Today I visited Haiti. Never before had I seen a place with this level of destruction. I visited a country that has been left with no type of infrastructure; water, sanitation, electricity, schools or hospitals, with 86 percent of the population unemployed and one million eight hundred thousand people displaced.

I saw mothers who lost their children, children who lost their parents, women who have lost their entire families forever. I saw a country that lost nearly everything, but still has its strength. I will forever remember the gaze of men and women who, despite everything, do not feel defeated. Young Haitians that are ready to start rebuilding, full of hope. Children that are still smiling and dream of a better life. That strength is the opportunity of this nation that today awaits all the possible international aid it can get. A nation that depends on our promises and also on our good memory - because even more tragic than the catastrophe itself would be for Haiti to be forgotten.

However, having met people from different places, students and professionals, anonymous or famous, who have decided to give their time and efforts to settle in Haiti and help, fills me with optimism. Sean Penn, for example, personally leads one of the largest refugee camps in the country. He has been living in a camp for nearly three months. He sleeps in a small precarious tent no different than those of the 60 thousand displaced people that live there while he tries to relocate them. He has been able to get a considerable amount of international aid and through his daily work he continues to inspire many people that, like him, have volunteered to help. U.S., Filipino and Indian Marines, as well as many young volunteers, have mobilized to the area to join forces.

Everyday there are more and more people in the world who connect with the needs of those less fortunate. Newer generations absorb these examples and know that in today's world the problems of one group of people are the problems of the whole world. My hope is that through education and communication this message is spread and becomes the legacy we leave our children and our children's children.

Today, I saw firsthand the needs of the Haitian people. In my meetings today I understood, even more so, that simply by building schools and hospitals the Haitian society may regain their dignity and move forward.

We have visited possible locations to build a Barefoot Foundation school, where children can receive adequate food and education. We met with several NGO's and potential strategic partners to start working in the coming months. We will start building a school in Haiti that hopefully may be completed later this year.

It will soon be hurricane season and I just hope that the people of Haiti can find shelter from inclement weather in the coming months, and that we are there for them.

I wanted to share my experience today with anyone who wants to know about it, because there is a lot to be done and individually we are drops of water, but together we can be a whole ocean. I learned that today from an eleven-year-old boy who has seen little, but who already knows so much.

Shakira

As you can hear above, UK electro-popsters Hot Chip covered She Wolf in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge a few days ago. We like.

On Sunday, Shakira flew into Haiti to meet survivors of the devestating earthquake which hit the country in January. She was there on behalf of the Barefoot Foundation, which is searching for a suitable place to build a school for children in need. Shakira was welcomed by actor Sean Penn, who is providing humanitarian aid at the refugee camps. Together they visited a makeshift camp for 50,000 quake survivors.

You can read more about the visit, and see some video footage, at the BBC's website by clicking here.

There was a terrific, in-depth interview with Shakira in the Wall Street Journal this weekend, in which she discussed her commitment to improving childhood education. Click here to read the article.

On Saturday night, Shakira gave a sparkling performance of her new single, Gypsy, on 'Wetten Dass...?' the hugely popular TV show which is broadcast in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Shakira was also interviewed for the show - click here to watch that on ZDF's site.

Today I join the call to action by Gloria Estefan to support the Ladies In White, who are true heroines of our time, exemplars of female courage and victims of the repression and violation of human rights in Cuba. I hope that this rising up for the freedom of all political prisoners and respect for human rights will reach the very heart of all the tyrants and that above all, plants seeds of liberty in all the young people of the world, because it is us who justice depends on.

Shakira

We're very pleased to reveal that the winner of the signed Shakira She Wolf T-shirt conest is Jaime Felipe from Ecuador, who correctly answered that Shakira watched Rafa Nadal beat Russian Nikolay Davydenko in Abu Dhabi in 2009.

Jaime has been a fan of Shakira since 2002, although he hasn't managed to see her perform live yet. His favorite Shakira track is NO (featuring Gustavo Cerati). And his signed T-shirt is on its way to Ecuador now...

If you'd like to buy one of the T-shirts without Shakira's signature on it, you can get them in our official store.

We're pleased to report that on Friday, April 16, the Disney Channel in the U.S. will premiere a special episode of Wizards of Waverly Place featuring Shakira. The show will air at 8pm ET/PT. Click here for some more pictures, at JustJaredJr.

We're pleased to report that Shakira will appear on the March 27th episode of Wetten Dass...? the enormously popular TV show which is broadcast in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Shakira will perform Gypsy on the show, whose previous guests include Michael Jackson, Elton John and Luciano Pavarotti. If you speak German, you can get more info on the show's official site here.