A Letter From the UNHCR
I have been meaning to post this letter from the UNHCR that I received last week. I know we all love Angelina the star. Let’s remember Angelina the activist.
RE: Angelina Jolie visits Iraqi refugees
Dear Friend of Refugees:
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| UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie talks with a refugee child in Al Waleed camp, Iraq. UNHCR/M.Bernard |
This week UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie concluded a visit to Iraq and Syria, where she heard tales of extraordinary resilience and courage from Iraqi refugees.
Wanting to learn first-hand about the plight of more than 4 million people uprooted by the violence in Iraq, Jolie visited a UNHCR registration center in Damascus, Syria on Monday and then spent hours hearing moving stories from refugees in their homes.
Nearly one-quarter of Iraqi refugees are victims of violence and torture. Tens of thousands are without jobs, and many young people are in danger of losing out on an education and a future.
Support the refugees fleeing the violence in Iraq.
The UN Refugee Agency estimates more than 4.2 million Iraqis have fled their homes – two million to neighboring countries and another 2.2 million displaced inside Iraq.
UNHCR is providing medical care and food assistance to refugee families. The agency is also striving to help Iraqi refugee children get back to school and supply school uniforms and financial help.
“I can’t imagine how I could manage to take care of my children in these circumstances,” Jolie said. You can help make a difference.
The actress met a man whose family fled Baghdad after the father narrowly escaped a kidnapping attempt. Now out of money, the family depends on the little cash brought in by their 17-year-old son, who irons clothes. Later, Jolie visited a young Iraqi man who had been tortured, set on fire and left for dead in Iraq. He has been helped by UNHCR since he came to Damascus.
Stressing this was a non-political visit, Jolie said she wanted to draw attention to the
humanitarian crisis and urged support for UNHCR and its partners.
Sincerely,
J. Michael Coburn
Acting Executive Director
USA for UNHCR
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