Reggae singer Taj Weekes doesn't just sing about orphans in Darfur, the cycle of violence and global warming. He tries to do something about it.

Weekes runs a nonprofit charity, They Often Cry Outreach, which helps children around the world and recently has turned its efforts to combating diabetes in the Caribbean, where he is from.

By next year, an estimated 20 million people in the Caribbean alone will have the disease, according to Diabetes Voice, the magazine of the International Diabetes Federation. Weekes' charity is sending doctors to increase testing and educate the public about the treatable disease.

"It's a massive problem," he said. "We have the highest rate of diabetes per capita in the world. If this is not a crisis, I don't know what is. There are more people dying from diabetes in St. Lucia than any other disease."

Weekes lyrics began to address global issues after the death of his parents. He occasionally sings about love, but prefers to tell real-life stories in an effort to make a difference with his music.

"We're not overly into the love thing," he said. "We don't talk about women's private parts, and we don't sing about rims on cars. We sing about the things that matter to people in their life."

While he acknowledges that some crowds just want the party songs they can dance and have a carefree time to, others view his shows as more of a spiritual awakening.

"A woman came up to us after the show and said she wasn't sure if she was supposed to dance or listen because all her senses were aroused and she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do," he said. "Hopefully everybody can feel that way."

Weekes and his band, Adowa, perform organic reggae that is free of electronic drumbeats and pre-recorded tracks. Growing up in St. Lucia, the radio stations were not formatted, so a given station would play a wide variety of genres. The exposure to blues in particular has had a big impact on Weekes' music since he embraces the storytelling nature of the genre.

"It's a blessing because you get a very wide musical education that covers all the bases," he said. "Whichever genre is your vehicle, you can always tap into the other genres and take something out of it to help you on your way."