4/27/2007

Courtney Thompson

She spoke in Washington, D.C. for Global Action for Children at their headquarter's opening.

Angelina Jolie helped children's advocacy group Global Action for Children establish its headquarters in Washington, D.C., and spoke at its opening on Thursday. She serves as the honorary chairperson for GAC. The group is pushing the Bush administration to commit an additional $2.5 billion a year to education in developing countries and to orphans.  
  
"The numbers associated with this problem are staggering," said Jolie to a sea of reporters at the opening. "It is overwhelming and the scale of the problem seems to give many an excuse for inaction.  
  
"I am here simply to ask you to think about orphaned children, not as a burden but as a great opportunity. Their education is an investment in our future...They have had to work very, very hard to survive, but when they are given a chance, they grow strong, stronger than most."  
  
In addition to her work with GAC and as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, Jolie teamed up with her husband, Brad Pitt, to establish the Jolie-Pitt Foundation last year. It has donated $1 million to GAC and Medecins sans Frotieres/Doctors without Borders.