Angelina Jolie and 3 other celebrities who dedicate their lives to make a better world

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People who dedicate their lives to humanitarian causes are granted the title of Goodwill Ambassadors, these famous women fulfill this task

Angelina Jolie's visit to Colombia on June 7 and 8 gave something to talk about. The actress visited some cities in the country as a representative of the UN in its program for refugees (UNHCR). He was in La Guajira, a state in northern Colombia, sharing with Venezuelan migrants and also met with President Iván Duque.

Leer en español: Angelina Jolie y otras 3 celebridades que dedican su vida a mejorar el mundo

During her visit, she was in hospitals and centers that have been opened especially to assist those who have been displaced by the Venezuelan crisis. However, that particular state has its own problems, associated with the lack of such basic resources as food and water. That being the case, supporting refugees has not been an easy task, since they must also deal with meeting internal needs. According to this, Jolie affirmed: "I have seen with my own eyes how overloaded the schools and hospitals are, but I have also seen the humanitarianism expressed by the local communities".

Jolie is a woman highly recognized for her career in the film world, not only as an actress but also as a producer and director. However, entertainment is not her only function in life. Fame, perhaps, gave her the opportunity to find her true passion linked to humanitarian actions, which is why, for more than 20 years, she has worked on different projects and is considered a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN.

It is common for celebrities to immerse themselves in the world of humanitarian aid and to work in different jobs such as children, poverty or the environment in the hands of NGOs such as the UN or Unicef. These other famous women also perform these tasks to support people, especially in countries that are under development or where extreme poverty prevents them from moving forward. In Jolie's case, for example, she works around refugees in different parts of the world, but each one is the standard-bearer of a mission.

Thus, they make humanitarian trips, they concentrate on getting aid, they propose to accompany the communities, and they create strategies and campaigns to make the problem visible and improve the conditions. The points in favor of celebrities in this field are that their influence can help attract more attention to the needs and that people become interested in those issues that are sometimes so forgotten.

These three other women have played the same role as Angelina Jolie, each focusing on different social issues that affect the world.

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1. Emma Watson

The successful actress, recognized for her role in Harry Potter, works hand in hand with UN Women in "campaigns to promote the education of girls in countries where discrimination is evident," according to Vanity Fair. Watson is also known for her eloquence and her position in the face of discrimination against women, and that is why, since 2014, she has been working with the organization for women.

One of its main campaigns has been HeForShe, an "an invitation for men and people of all genders to stand in solidarity with women to create a bold, visible and united force for a gender equal world. Commit to take action for gender equality now," according to its official website. In her work with UN Women, Emma Watson also works hand in hand with other celebrities such as Nicole Kidman and Anne Hathaway.

2. Gisele Bündchen

Perhaps one of the most difficult missions of the UN is assigned to supermodel Gisele Bündchen, who since 2009 was named goodwill ambassador for UN Environment. In her work, she has had to develop campaigns of all kinds, promoting the preservation of nature, with more specific causes such as the fight against the trafficking of wildlife.

The model counted, in her appointment years ago, that she began to become aware of the importance of the environment in 2003 in a trip to the Amazon: "after visiting Xingu, an area of the Amazon, in 2003. I spent a week with an Indian tribe and everyone complained of diseases from contaminated water." Following this experience, according to People magazine, Bündchen created an organization called Clean Water, dedicated to purifying water and repopulating the Amazon. This subsequently led her to perform her duties with the UN Environment. Next to her, another great environmental figure is the actor Ian Sommerhalder, known for his role as Damon Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries.

3. Shakira

This Colombian singer was named UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2003, becoming, at the age of 26, the youngest celebrity to hold this humanitarian title.

Since before she started in this work with Unicef, Shakira had already demonstrated her humanitarian vein with the creation of the Pies Descalzos Foundation in Colombia in 1997. Taking this work as a basis, Unicef states that "given that nearly 120 million children do not go to school, thus reducing their chances of getting out of poverty and exploitation, the ambassador's work focuses especially on promoting assistance of minors to school and to ensure that they receive a basic education of good quality ".

In May of 2019, during EXMA in Colombia, an event attended by former US President Barack Obama, the singer was appointed as a counselor in excellence in the education of the Hispanic community in the government.

LatinAmerican Post | Juliana Suárez

Translated from "Angelina Jolie y otras 3 celebridades que dedican su vida a mejorar el mundo"