Celebrity

From Hollywood Star To Philanthropist: Angelina Jolie’s Journey

Ashley - August 1, 2023

Angelina Jolie is undoubtedly one of the most famous women in Hollywood. You might remember her from high-profile projects like Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Maleficent, or The Tourist. Or maybe you discovered her impressive talent while enjoying one of her lesser-known films, like Gia or The Bone Collector. However you discovered Ms. Jolie, it’s likely you were immediately drawn into the world she created with her effortless acting skills and realistic depictions of characters. Unlike most celebrities who reach A-list status, Jolie has never shied away from getting her hands dirty. She’s spent the better part of 20 years actively fighting for change and getting involved in philanthropy programs. Whether she’s fighting poverty or working to preserve Earth’s natural environments, Jolie has proven her devotion to making positive impacts on our society. As if her philanthropy work wasn’t enough to give Jolie idol status, she’s also spent her adult life working to be a loving and encouraging mother and encouraging other mothers along the way. Ready to learn more about Angelina Jolie’s commendable journey? Get comfortable and ready to scroll!

From Hollywood Star To Philanthropist: Angelina Jolie’s Journey — Photo Credit: peoplemagazine.com

It All Began In Cambodia

Angelina Jolie’s role in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was unquestionably the film that skyrocketed her to fame and piqued her interest in philanthropy. Jolie went to Cambodia for the filming of Tomb Raider, and she was immediately shocked by the conditions the locals lived in. Landmines in the country made filming difficult, and Jolie became aware that these landmines were placed all throughout the country. It’s estimated that there are still 4-6 million landmines throughout Cambodia, and the locals have to deal with the terror of becoming victimized by one of these weapons of war at any time. Speaking with an interview for UNHCR, Jolie spoke about the situation and said, “It’s crazy the thought that you really don’t know, and for people to live like that all the time. There were times when we would go wandering off in Cambodia and had to be extremely careful where we were going and to know the area.” It was this insight into the humanitarian crisis in Cambodia that sparked Jolie’s interest in finding ways to make positive changes throughout the world.

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Dedicated To Protecting Nature

Two years after filing Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and discovering the humanitarian crisis in Cambodia, Jolie felt compelled to take action. She adopted her first child, Maddox, from an orphanage in Cambodia. Determined to maintain a connection to his home country, the star bought a home in the country right next to Samlout National Park. Unfortunately, the park became overrun by poachers, creating a dangerous situation for the endangered species in the area. Jolie couldn’t stand by and watch this happen, so she decided to purchase the entire 60,000 hectares of this park and build up a gorgeous wildlife reservation. She named the reservation The Maddox Jolie Project, which was later renamed the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation several years later. The Cambodian government took notice of Jolie’s actions and awarded her citizenship to celebrate her astonishing act of conservatorship.

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Making A Difference With The UNHRC

Determined to make a difference, Jolie joined the UNHRC (United Nations Human Rights Council) in 2001. She served as a Goodwill Ambassador from 2001-2012 and then as Special Envoy from 2012-2022. She dedicated over 20 years to working on human rights issues, and during this time she traveled to over 30 different countries. Jolie met with refugees to help improve their living conditions and provide them with humanitarian and developmental support. Speaking on her experiences in an interview with UNHRC, Jolie had this to say about the people she met during her philanthropist trips, “Really, it’s just person after person in every different country that has a life that I can’t even imagine and has gone through horror that I can’t even imagine. And yet, in every country, every family was more generous than I have met in other countries with their time or whatever they had.” She became a strong advocate for human rights issues and became determined to use her visibility as a star to bring awareness to the issues she encountered.

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She Opened A Primary School For Girls In Afghanistan

Among the many praiseworthy projects Jolie took on during her time working with various countries, this had to be one of the most impactful. Back in 2010, Jolie donated $75,000 and opened a primary school for girls in Tanji, Afghanistan. Jolie visited refugee returnees in the country the previous year and became concerned about the lack of access to basic education young girls appeared to have in the country. Jolie knew she had to take action, so she went forward and created a plan to open a primary school. The school was able to welcome 800 students, who wouldn’t have had access to this basic education without Jolie’s help. A report by The Denver Post stated that a former teacher in the area had this to say about the school’s opening, “This is what we needed here, and I believe there is a need for every community if we want to build the future of our country — to build schools and get education.”

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She Never Hesitated To Donate Large Funds

Donating $75,000 to open a school sounds like an astonishing amount, but Jolie never shied away from donating large funds to important causes. In 2008, Jolie and then-husband Brad Pitt were expecting twins. Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt were born in August of that year, and the media was desperate to get shots of the beautiful family. People and Hello magazine teamed up to win the bidding war, and they purchased the first shots of this lovely family for $14 million! Jolie didn’t hesitate to put that money to good use. The entire amount was donated to the Jolie-Pitt Foundation. This foundation is dedicated to environmental security, improving health, and creating peace and stability in all communities. The foundation plans and implements interventions that prevent negative environmental changes.

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Raising Awareness For Breast Cancer

In May 2013, Jolie announced that she’d undergone a double mastectomy. In addition to that, she also had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed. Jolie hadn’t been diagnosed with cancer, but she did undergo testing that showed she had inherited a mutated BRCA1 gene. Jolie had already lost her mother and grandmother to cancer, so she knew she had to reduce her risk of succumbing to the disease with this extensive preventative procedure. This experience gave Jolie yet another cause to raise awareness and fight for. She dedicated herself to using her platform as a star to bring more awareness to breast cancer and donated significant money to help experts research the disease.

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Devoted To Helping Refugees Around The World

Angelina Jolie devoted herself to helping refugees and returnees around the world. She visited over thirty different countries and became involved in more than two dozen charity and human rights organizations. Through her efforts, she strived to improve living conditions, eliminate extreme poverty, and provide essential services like health, education, and psycho-social support. When asked in an interview with UNHCR why Jolie was focusing so much of her time on working with refugees, the star had this to say, “-because I believe refugees are the most vulnerable people in the world. They are affected by everything, including landmines. They are vulnerable to everything.” Jolie has opened schools in multiple countries, provided invaluable developmental support, and raised awareness for an astonishing number of humanitarian issues worldwide.

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Fighting For Women’s Rights

Angelina Jolie has never shied away from hard-hitting issues, including women’s rights. She started the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative in an effort to defend women, with the intention of researching sexual assault and combating it. She’s also dedicated herself to speaking out about the violence women experience in society and the need for legal provisions to protect women. In February 2022, Jolie went to Washington, D.C., to speak on the issue of the Violence Against Women Act. While standing before an audience, Jolie said, “When there is silence from a Congress too busy to renew the Violence Against Women Act for a decade, it reinforces that sense of worthlessness.” The star spoke about the necessity of renewing this crucial law and advocated adding provisions for Kayden’s Law. She used her social media to bring further awareness to these issues and remains a vocal proponent of women’s rights.

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Participating In Disaster Relief Programs

One of the many charitable causes Angelina Jolie has worked with through the years is disaster relief. Many people are affected by natural disasters every year, in countries all around the world, and Jolie has always been determined to do what she can to help. She visited Pakistan in 2010 after a severe flood to advocate for continued support for those displaced and otherwise affected by the disaster. She’d previously visited the country in 2005 after a horrific earthquake left millions affected and voiced her concern that people were dismissing the domino effect of both disasters. Jolie stressed the need for continuing support in an interview with UNHCR and said, “One problem does not negate the other, one headline should not pull focus from the many complexities of the situation in Pakistan.”

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Supporting Causes Close To Home

While Jolie does spend a significant amount of time traveling around the world to help those in impoverished nations, she’s also dedicated to supporting causes closer to home. Back in 2011, a tornado ripped through Missouri. The tornado led to 161 deaths, more than 1,300 injuries, and nearly $3 billion worth of damages. The horrific disaster immediately caught the attention of Jolie, who donated $500,000 from the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation to help rebuild the city. The star has never shied away from donating significant funds to help rebuild after disasters. In 2010, Haiti experienced an unprecedented earthquake that left over 1.5 million people homeless. Jolie donated $1 million to disaster relief and victim aid efforts for Haiti.

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Raising Awareness For Ukraine

One of Jolie’s more recent endeavors has been to raise awareness for the crisis happening in Ukraine. Jolie visited Lviv, Ukraine, in late 2022 to meet with those displaced by the war. She visited with some of the organizations offering support to the victims and used this opportunity to raise awareness for the situation happening there. Jolie didn’t visit as an official Special Envoy of the UNHCR, as they technically had no involvement in the war. Instead, she visited in a “personal capacity,” though there was no doubt her intentions were to raise awareness for the people affected by the war. Jolie’s visit was a surprise, but she spent her time listening to the stories of the people in Lviv and learning more about the relief efforts taking place.

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Calling For Change

Jolie has stated on multiple occasions that she hopes her efforts to raise awareness for the serious humanitarian crises throughout the world would enact true, actionable change. In 2019, Jolie visited Syria again and called for serious change. The country had been in a state of crisis for eight long years, during which time nearly 6 million people lived as refugees in the nation, and millions more were being internally displaced. Jolie spoke out about the crisis faced by those in Syria and stated, “In the meantime, the gap between what Syrian refugees and IDPs need to survive, and the humanitarian assistance available to them, is growing by the day. There are Syrians inside the country who are trying to rebuild their lives around the rubble, without the necessary support.” She advocated for true change, an end to violence, and better living conditions for all.

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Visiting Bangladesh To Support Humanitarian Efforts

One of the many places Jolie visited in an effort to raise awareness and support for humanitarian efforts is Bangladesh. Back in 2019, Jolie visited this country in the midst of a refugee crisis. Bangladesh was heavily affected by a sudden influx of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. The country was hosting nearly a million refugees, and the majority of people were crammed into a single area, which led to unhealthy living conditions. Jolie underwent a three-day mission to assess the humanitarian needs of the Rohingya refugees and other humanitarian issues in the country. Her work in Bangladesh and other countries was invaluable in raising awareness and helping the people receive essential aid and support.

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Jolie Made Time To Inspire Her Children

Despite her extensive humanitarian work, Jolie always made time to encourage, support, and inspire her children. She devoted herself to being a good mother and leading by example. Jolie’s daughter, Zahara Jolie-Pitt, started her own jewelry collection. She worked together with the famous jeweler Robert Procop to bring The Zahara Collection to life. Inspired by her mother’s continued selflessness, Zahara transferred all the money raised from her collection to the Los Angeles-based House of Ruth Shelters. This non-profit organization helps to provide transitional housing for battered women and children. We can only imagine how incredibly proud Jolie was of her daughter’s efforts!

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She Takes Inspiration From Her Kids

Jolie is constantly working on new projects and improving herself. When her young son Maddox expressed an interest in planes, Jolie knew she had to help her son realize his dream. She accomplished this by taking flying lessons and eventually earned her pilot’s license in 2004. She has since owned several planes and used her newfound knowledge to continue supporting and encouraging her son’s dreams. Jolie took this one step further and also acquired her helicopter’s pilot license! Her son must have been thrilled to have such a devoted mother who was willing to take him through the skies if it meant encouraging his passions.

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Stepping Down As UNHCR’s Special Envoy

In December 2022, Angelina Jolie announced she was stepping down as Special Envoy with the UNHCR. Jolie had this to say about her decision, “I am grateful for the privilege and opportunity I have had to work with so many outstanding and dedicated UNHCR field officers and other colleagues doing lifesaving work globally, and to serve as Special Envoy. I will continue to do everything in my power in the years to come to support refugees and other displaced people.” She’s committed herself to continuing to work with refugees and people in need of aid throughout the world. She has said she wants to work with a broader range of humanitarian services and more local organizations. UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, had this to say about Jolie’s dedication to the UNHCR and her decision to move on, “We are grateful for her decades of service, her commitment, and the difference she has made for refugees and people forced to flee. After a long and successful time with UNHCR, I appreciate her desire to shift her engagement and support her decision.”

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