Angelina Jolie became involved in philanthropy in 2001 when she was filming a movie in Cambodia and came face to face with the plight of refugees. She then took steps to adopt her son, later named Maddox. Her travels to the far corners of the globe brought attention to millions of refugees and the hardships they faced, having already survived atrocities in their home countries.
After Angelina contacted the United Nations to offer her help, she was named a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. In her tenure as ambassador she has toured UNHCR refugee operations in the Balkans, Sierra Leone, Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya, Cambodia, Pakistan, Ecuador and the Syrian refugee camps in Turkey. Due to the fact that the press follows her wherever she goes, she has helped turn the world's attention to the inhumane living conditions of nearly 35 million refugees. Most tragic of all is that half of them are children.
During the Cambodia filming, Angelina also learned about the problem of land mines. She was shocked to see so many people with missing limbs caused by land mine explosions. She became a champion of the cause to rid the world of the menace of land mines. On a recent trip she was able to personally detonate a land mine that was placed near a children's play area.
Jolie is on the Board of Yele Haiti, Wyclef Jean's foundation, and has returned to Haiti many times. In 2011 she distributed aid after an earthquake devastated the capital Port-au-Prince.
The Oscar and Golden Globe Award winning actress has not only given her time to many causes, she has also personally donated several million dollars annually to different worthy organizations."Second to my children, spending time with refugees and other persons of need around the world has been the greatest gift... It's been the greatest life lesson I could ever receive."
In addition to being partnered with Brad Pitt, having a successful film career, and raising six children ANGELINA FOUND THE TIME - Will you? Contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and see how you can make a difference.
