London
(ANI):
Hollywood
couple
Penelope
Cruz
and
Javier
Bardem
have
promised
to
donate
31,250
pounds-a-year
for
five
years
to
rebuild
schools
in
earthquake-ravaged
Haiti.
The
Spanish
stars
joined
writer-director
Paul
Haggis
at
his
Los
Angeles
home
on
Sunday
(24
Jan.
20010)
when
he
hosted
a
celebrity
brunch
for
his
charitable
organisation
Artists
for
Peace
and
Justice
to
raise
funds
for
Haiti.
The
couple
are
among
100
guests
including
Nicole
Kidman,
Charlize
Theron,
Maria
Bello
and
Gerard
Butler
at
the
event,
reports
People
magazine.
At
the
event,
the
stars
were
also
treated
to
a
performance
by
Sheryl
Crow.
The
brunch
raised
2.8
million
pounds
for
the
Caribbean
nation's
relief
effort
-
including
Cruz
and
Bardem's
personal
promises
to
support
the
country
as
it
works
to
rebuild
its
school
system.
Haggis,
who
has
been
doing
charity
work
in
Haiti
for
years,
founded
Artists
for
Peace
and
Justice
with
a
group
of
friends
last
year
(09)
to
improve
schools
and
hospitals
and
help
provide
locals
with
access
to
clean
drinking
water.
The
Nine
actress'
five-year
pledge
comes
within
two
weeks
after
she
paid
tribute
to
Haggis
at
the
Golden
Globe
Awards,
where
she
praised
him
for
snubbing
the
red
carpet
to
fly
to
Haiti
and
help
relief
workers.
"We
are
very
lucky
to
be
here,
celebrating
cinema...
but
it's
impossible
to
think
about
anything
else
than
the
terrible
disaster
that
is
going
on
in
Haiti," the
Daily
Star
quoted
her
as
telling
E!
News.
"Our
dear
friend
Paul
Haggis...
is
on
his
way
there
now...
I
encourage
people
to
look
at
the
website,
Artists
for
Peace
&
Justice,
and
to
do
whatever
they
can
because
everything
counts,
everything
will
make
a
difference
to
somebody
else's
life," she
added.