This week, Angelia Jolie returned to Azraq, Jordan for the fourth time since the conflict in Syria began, to visit the temporary homes of the displaced families affected by the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis.
After hearing the heartbreaking stories of the families who were forced to flee their homes in a desperate search for safety, the actress and UNHCR Special Envoy held a press conference and delivered a powerful speech.
“There are children here who remember no other life than this harsh, desert environment and barbed wire fences,” she began, referring to the disproportionate number of young people living at the camp.
“There are teens here who bear terrible mental and physical wounds of the conflict,” the brunette beauty went on before adding that “over half of all the refugees in Jordan are under 18.”
“My own children are of that age, and like any other parent, it is impossible for me to imagine what it would be like for my own children in this situation. And it breaks my heart.”
Angelina and her husband Brad Pitt share six children — Maddox, 15, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 8.
Speaking of a brave woman she met on her visit, Angelina then recalled a heartbreaking story to explain why her role as a mother resonated so strongly with the women and their families.
“I met with a family this morning who fled Daesh in Raqqaa, and then moved twenty times trying to find safety inside Syria.
“In that time, the mother suffered repeated miscarriages, and her two brothers and sister were killed in an airstrike.”
Watch Ange’s powerful speech in the video player below. Post continues…
Angelina’s latest message comes as Syria enters its fifth year or civil war. The conflict has displaced about five million refugees, 60,000 of which are currently based in the Al- Azraq refugee camp in Amman, Jordan.
“This is not a problem of Jordan’s making, or that Jordan should be left to bear alone,” the 41-year-old went on.
“Jordan has been warning for years that they could reach a point where they on their own could do no more. The world has known about the situation here for months but no solution has been put forward.
“Refugees want to know when can they get back to their home. They don’t want to be passive recipients of aid, they want a political solution.”
The star pictured looking over the Al- Azraq refugee camp in Amman, Jordan.
The humanitarian finished her speech with a plea to the world’s leaders, who will be meeting at the UN General Assembly later this week.
“My message to world leaders, as they prepare to gather at the UN General Assembly in 10 days’ time, is to ask that the fundamental root causes of the Syria conflict, and what it will take to end it, are put at the center of the discussion.”
Friday’s speech wasn’t the first time Angelina has publicly addressed world leaders in making active change to help the Syrian refugees.
The 41-year-old was honoured to meet a few of the many displaced children.
Just last April, the humanitarian slammed the U.N. for failing Syrian refugees during a briefing to the Security Council.
“We cannot look at Syria, and the evil that has arisen from the ashes of indecision, and think this is not the lowest point in the world’s inability to protect and defend the innocent,” she told the council.
“If we cannot end the conflict we have an inescapable moral duty to help refugees and provide legal avenues to safety.”
Angelina Jolie on an earlier visit to the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan back in 2012.
The volunteer work Angelina has done – and continues to do – for the cause has been deemed invaluable.
UNHCR spokesperson, Adrian Edwards told reporters: “Her work does go substantially beyond what we would typically see as being the normal role of a goodwill ambassador,”
“I don’t think you need a rocket scientist to see the benefits that she is bringing in terms of the attention that she is getting for the plight of the world’s displaced.”
