Angelina Jolie: Refugees Have Made Me a Better Mother

Angelina Jolie: Refugees Have Made Me a Better Mother

Angelina Jolie is a true citizen of the world. As a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador, the actress made a a surprise appearance Oct. 3 to honor a Yemeni humanitarian group at the Refugee Agency's annual awards ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland.

The mother of six lauded the aid group, Society for Humanitarian Solidarity, which is credited with helping thousands of African, particularly Somali, refugees that enter Southern Yemen each year.

"The desperation fueled by a vicious combination of drought, famine and conflict has driven tens of thousands of people from the Horn of Africa. And we must not forget what is happening in this part of the world," Jolie said at the event.

During her 10 years as a Goodwill Ambassador, Jolie, 36, has traveled the world, visiting more than 40 refugee hotspots and advocating for relief and aid to Somalis fleeing their war-torn country.

"We must try to imagine how desperate these people must be, when their only alternative is to risk death at sea and put their lives in the hands of ruthless smugglers."

But Jolie hasn't just provided her services to those in need. The star says the refugees have actually helped her, too.

"Most of all I'm so grateful -- I don't want to cry -- to the refugee families that I have the honor and privilege to spend the last years with," she said, "From them I've learned so much. I've learned to be a better person, a better mother. They've inspired me by showing me the unbreakable strength of the human spirit."

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/angelina-jolie-refugees-have-made-me-better-mother/1-a-387945

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