Amerie asks you to help Haiti. Photo Credit: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for IMG

Washington DC native Amerie wants to extend the message out there that it’s time to step up our help toward Haiti:

“I think it’s really important to remember that there are a lot of things going on in this world other than what’s going on in our own lives. And sometimes we can really actually extend a hand out there to help.”

The half-Korean pop singer stresses that one doesn’t need to work in a big group to make a difference, but that a donation as little as $1 dollar makes a difference — as ten dollars could buy a person enough drinking water for a year.

Watch her YouTube announcement below, go to her charity UNICEF to donate, check out our run-down on other charities doing good work, and images from the devastating earthquake on our slideshow. UNICEF focuses on work with children and, as their site points out, nearly 50% of Haiti’s population of 10 million is under 18.