Colombian Pop star Shakira was presented with the United Nation's Social Justice for Peace award at a ceremony in Switzerland Wednesday for her organization, the Barefoot Foundation, which provides nutrition and education for as many as 6,000 children in Colombia.

Shaki had this to say, after receiving the award:

"It's not too late to keep our promise to our children, but we must act now. Together, we can make education and decent work for all a reality. [Witnessing sub par conditions] shaped my dream and my vision of social justice: to see a world where every child can live a dignified life with the opportunity to reap the benefits of a good education and a chance to pursue their dreams."

Shakira is also a founding member of the ALAS Foundation which promotes public policies for children in Latin American and the Caribbean,  as well as being a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Felicidades a Shakira on her humanitarian efforts! She and Juanes definitely hold down their homeland!  (PerezHilton)

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Relief has been pouring in for the impoverished island of Haiti in wake of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated the nation's capital of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, January 12th. And while we've heard dozens of stories on the 2 million and counting that Wyclef, one of the country's most famous exports, has raised through his organization Yele Haiti, we've heard very little on what some of our favorite artistas Latinos are doing to help.  Here's the scoop!

Wisin y Yandel have reached deep in their pockets to donate to the victims of Haiti. The duo have given $100,000 to a Haitian orphanage, and another $100K towards the purchase of generators to help restore electricity to the devastated nation.

The boys of Aventura are also donating big bills! A whopping $25, 000 to their relief organization of choice, the American Red Cross. The Bachata quartet will also have Red Cross volunteers accepting donations on-site at their 4 Madison Square Garden concerts over the next two weeks.

Ricky Martin isn’t just writing a check; he's heading to Haiti! Our favorite humanitarian boarded a plane to Port-au-Prince today, and plans on providing as much on the ground assistance as possible.

Belinda is doing her part as well, and has taped a special PSA for the Red Cross. The segment is meant to motivate and inspire the Mexican public and others to donate and give to the relief fund in Haiti. (LatinGossip)

Are you doing your part? To find out how you can do more, head on over to Think.MTV.com. And make sure you watch Hope For Haiti, an MTV Telethon broadcast LIVE and hosted by George Clooney, Wyclef, and CNN's Anderson Cooper, on MTV Tr3s Friday, January 22nd at 8pm EST/PST.  All donations will directly benefit Oxfam America, Partners in Health, Red Cross, UNICEF and Wyclef's Yele Haiti Foundation.

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In the days since a deadly 7.0-magnitude earthquake leveled Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, on Tuesday evening, millions of dollars have been pledged to help the search and rescue and relief efforts on the impoverished Caribbean nation.

But where is that aid going?

The most desperate immediate needs of the more than 3 million Haitians who've been impacted by the disaster are food, water, shelter and medical supplies.

Like Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti which is urging people to text "Yele" to 501501 to donate $5 to the cause — which has raised more than $2 million so far — many other relief organizations have used mobile messaging to quickly gather funds.

But experts have been warning those wishing to donate to Haitian relief to be wary of organizations that claim 100 percent of their funds will go to victim relief because all charities have overhead and administrative costs and rarely use all the funds raised strictly for relief. They've also suggested that you go with well-known, big organizations such as the American Red Cross and UNICEF, who have a long track record with these types of efforts and who typically channel 90 percent of funds into programming/relief.

Other tips from Charity Navigator: avoid telemarketers and anonymous e-mail/text requests for would-be scammers looking to capitalize on the situation, don't be afraid to be suspicious and ask questions, never give your personal or financial information, ask if the charity is registered with an organization like the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance, never donate cash and while the immediacy of the social-networking giving that has become the go-to method of donation is inspiring, make sure you do your homework before texting that donation in.

CNN reported that the FBI has already issued a warning about unscrupulous scammers who might be looking to take advantage of the situation in Haiti to solicit bogus appeals. So be WARY!

For our part, MTV is teaming up with Oscar-winning actor George Clooney for a Haitian Relief Telethon next Friday (January 22). Here are some other ways you can take part in Haitian relief efforts. (MTV News)

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Selena Gomez and her 'Wizards of Waverly Place' co-star, David Henrie, hit up LA's Knotts Scary Farm on Saturday where they took pics and hit up the rides with a few ghosts, goblins, and costumed cowboys.  On Sunday, Selena visited Disneyland where she signed autographs and took pics with a few fans. She didn't wear a costume, but we're sure she'll wear something pretty spectacular on Halloween night for her Trick or Treat for UNICEF event!

What do you think Selena should dress up as?  Lady Gaga?  Balloon Girl?  Michael Jackson? Let us know below in the comments section!

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Chicas: Wouldn't you love to know what boys were thinking about, at any given moment? Would you be scared? Or would you take advantage of the knowledge? The latter seems like soo much fun! Well, Selena Gomez is set to star in una nueva película called 'What Boys Want,' in which she will play a teenage girl who can hear what men are thinking. Selena will be working con su mami, Mandy Teefey, on the feautre who's just been hired as executive producer.  New film, new album, new clothing line -- what can't our favorite Wizard do?!

And when she's not wearing all those creative hats, Selena Gomez spends her time fulfilling her duties as  Goodwill Ambassador.  This month, Selena is helping to promote UNICEF's Trick or Treat campaign, for which kids and adults alike are encouraged to Trick or Treat for change and collect money for children in need. If you want to get involved or need more information on the project, check out the Trick or Treat for UNICEF page here! [Variety]

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Selena Gomez gave a bunch of L.A. elementary school kids something to smile about  when she showed up at Charnock Road Elementary to honor a teacher with over $1,000 in school supplies during OfficeMax's A Day Made Better Event. In addition to her good deeds, Selena is also a UNICEF ambassador who recently went to Ghana.

Sprinkling joy everywhere...we're so proud of our lil wizarding Latina!

For more on Selena's Unicef trip, click[MTV Buzzworthy]

Photos via MTV Buzzworthy

One of our favorite Mexican pop-rock superstars, Julieta Venegas, will be officially named a UNICEF goodwill ambassador tomorrow en la ciudad de Mexico. This makes Julieta the second mexicana to ever receive this honor, despues de César Costa.

Julieta has been donating her time to caring for the poor children of her country, and now she'll be sharing ese buen corazón with the rest of the world.

Best of luck Julieta! [El Sol de Mexico]

Photo via Getty Images.

Perhaps Selena Gomez's recent appointment to ambassador at UNICEF will finally make those trick-or-treat cash collection boxes chic on Halloween.

Gomez, who worked on the 2008 Trick-or-Treat Halloween Campaign for UNICEF, is the youngest ambassador selected by the United States Fund.  The Wizards of Waverly Place actress will leverage her fame and talent to raise money for children's causes abroad and educate others about following the UNICEF mission, to reduce the percent of preventable deaths in children.

About her appointment, the young Latina told the press:

I know we can achieve this because every moment, UNICEF is on the ground providing children with the lifesaving assistance needed to ensure zero [deaths] becomes a reality.

Selena's UNICEF work will sure teach this pretty young thing to take on a more low maintenace routine.  As her first act of duty, Gomez will visit Ghana, one of the countries holding the highest rate of mortality in children under five.  There, the Disney actriz will observe the sordid conditions in which West African children live, and help propose solutions on how to improve their quality of life.

Gomez isn't the only celebrity on the UNICEF roster. The actress-singer joins fellow ambassadors Joel Madden, Lucy Liu, Clay Aiken, Alyssa Milano and Sarah Jessica Parker in the good fight for los niños. [Unicef.org]

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Our dulce chiquita Selena Gomez is using her enchanting spells for a sweet and charitable cause.

The "Wizards of Waverly Place" actress is gearing up for Halloween as the new spokesperson for the 2008 Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign, which helps aid los niños across the globe. Selena will help the charity collect donations while also contributing to their annual trick-or-treat fiesta on October 31st.

Selena recently stated:

I am extremely excited to be this year's Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF spokesperson. I want to help encourage other kids to make a difference in the world.

Suck up your painful toothaches and stuff your face with candy corns mi gente! Want to know other ways to help? Check out the UNICEF site and make a difference now!

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