Colombian singer-songwriter [artist id="504144"]Shakira[/artist] took to the stage at MTV's "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" to perform an emotional cover of The Pretenders' 1994 hit "I'll Stand by You."

Shakira was one of several artists, including Madonna, Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige and Sting to perform in New York City on behalf of the telethon.

In addition to lending her voice to "Help for Haiti Now" the singer announced on Thursday (January 21) that her Barefoot Foundation will partner with Architecture for Humanity to help [article id="1630279"]build a new school in Haiti[/article].

"There is a great need for immediate aid in Haiti, but also for longer-term reconstruction," she said in a press statement about the Barefoot Haiti School. "For that reason, we are doing our small part to help Haiti rebuild and give the children affected by this disaster the chance to learn and thrive. I hope we can use some of what we've learned working in Colombia to help Haiti's children recover. When we educate children, we empower societies, and right now Haiti needs all of our help."

Shakira has also been urging fans to aid in relief efforts via her Web site. "The people of Haiti need our help immediately," she wrote the day following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake. "Money will be needed to provide urgent emergency relief and I urge everyone who can afford to help to either donate to UNICEF's emergency relief fund."

Learn more about what you can do to help with [article id="1629607"]earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti[/article], and for more information, see Think MTV. Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now.

iTunes customers can exclusively pre-order the "Hope for Haiti Now" full-performance album ($7.99) and the full two-hour video telecast ($1.99). Pre-orders will be delivered in the days following the telethon. Individual audio performances will also be available for purchase and download for 99 cents each in the days following the telethon. Apple, the record labels and the artists will donate their share of the proceeds to Haiti relief funds managed by "Hope for Haiti Now" charities, including the Red Cross and Wyclef's Yele Haiti foundation. Performances will also be available for purchase in the days following the event through Amazon's MP3 service and Rhapsody, through distribution provided by INgrooves.