Angelina Jolie is a superwoman. Apart from her job as an actress and her role as a mother of six, Angelina Jolie is a Goodwill Ambassador. Her involvement in humanitarian efforts began in 2001, while filming Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in Cambodia, where her adopted son Maddox is from. It was then that Jolie became cognizant of the humanitarian crises around the world and her journey to help create “awareness of the plight of these people” began.

After contacting the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Jolie started visiting refugee camps in different countries including Cambodia, Pakistan, Tanzania, Kosovo, and Namibia. Since then, Jolie has visited refugees in over 30 countries around the world. In 2001, Jolie was recognized for her efforts and named a Goodwill Ambassador at UNHCR headquarters in Geneva. Time and time again, Jolie has shown courage by visiting regions known to be at war including Darfur, Chad, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Just recently, she visited Libya to help agencies bring aid to displaced refugees of the Libyan Revolution.

In 2003, she wrote a book called Notes From My Travels, in which she captured the experience of her early field visits. Over time, Jolie has been honored with the Citizen of the World Award, the Global Humanitarian Action Award for her work with the UNHCR, and the Freedom Award from the International Rescue Committee. She is also involved in several charitable organizations, including Global Action for Children and one that she established, called the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation. Check out some of her interviews on humanitarian work below.

Sincerely, Saba

“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.”  Angelina Jolie