Posts Tagged ‘Iraq’

Brad & Angelina Donate $1 Million to Kids

June 25th, 2008

Hollywood golden couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have pledged $1 million to help children caught up in the Iraq conflict.

The stars are using their Jolie-Pitt Foundation to make the contribution supporting the education of 8,000 youngsters from both Iraq and the US.

Angelina has already visited Iraq twice in the past year seeing for herself the devastating consequences of conflict on children.

The 33-year-old actress said, “These educational support programs for children of conflict are the best way to help them heal.”

The couple are now hoping others will also step forward and donate. Brad, 44, said: “We hope to encourage others to give to these great organizations.”

The donation will be shared by four organizations, which work to provide education and support to children who have lost parents, homes and schooling opportunities in Iraq as well as young people in the United States coping with the long deployment, injury or even death of a parent serving in the US Armed Services.

Gene Sperling, co-chairman of the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict, which made public the donation, said: “Education often falls through the cracks for children of conflict but it is what can be most effective for providing hope about the future for children who have already been through tragedy or trauma.”

The donation will be divided equally so both children in Iraq and in the US benefit from the couple’s generosity.

In America, the cash will go to the Armed Services YMCA Operation Hero Program, offering counseling and support for children separated from their parents involved in the conflict.

Admiral Frank Gallo, national executive director of the Armed Services YMCA, said: “The contribution from the Jolie-Pitt Foundation is a major boost to our efforts to serve the children of our brave members of the United States Armed Services who are engaged in our current conflict.

“These new funds will mean that 2,500 children, who were previously unable to attend Operation Hero, can now take part and get the educational support and counseling that they need and deserve.”

While in Iraq, the money will go to three separate organizations: Women for Women International sponsoring 300 Iraqi women and up to 1,200 children, the International Rescue Committee to support school rehabilitation and NineMillion.org/UNHCR to make uniforms, school supplies, and learning materials available to more than 2,000 Iraqi children.

Angelina Talks About Her Pregnancy

April 9th, 2008

She has never confirmed that she is pregnant, but on Tuesday, Angelina Jolie revealed during the middle of a conference on education policy in Iraq that she "felt kicking suddenly in the middle of the event."

It’s quite an admission from the expecting mother of four, who has quietly continued her busy life–happy not to acknowledge her growing baby bump. But on Tuesday, Jolie said she’s savoring this period–unexpected kicks and all–adding "It’s a very special time in our lives."

Angie is in Washington D.C. to promote education among Iraqi children. Specifically, she is there to launch her new initiative, Education Partnership for Children of Conflict.

Jolie brought her two sons, Maddox,6, and Pax,4, with her to the nation’s captiol. She will remain in D.C. for the rest of the week before re-joining Brad Pitt and their daughters Zahara,3, and Shiloh,1.

Angelina Promotes Education for Iraqi Children

April 8th, 2008 / Author: OK! Staff

Angelina Jolie is in Washington, D.C., where, on Monday night, she presented her friend, Mariane Pearl, wife of slain journalist Daniel Pearl, with an award for outstanding leadership.

Pearl accepted the Fern Holland Award from a glowingly pregnant Jolie at the Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards Gala at the Kennedy Center.

During her acceptance speech, Pearl, whose life was portrayed by Jolie on screen in A Mighty Heart, called the actress a "sister," and told the audience the two had spent the day together with their children, Maddox, Pax and Adam.

Angie presented other awards, along with First Lady Laura Bush, to six individuals for their outstanding humanitarian efforts. The 32-year-old mother of four arrived in the nation’s capitol on Monday to promote her latest effort — urging the international community to make educating Iraqi children a priority.

"The best way to heal children of conflict from trauma is to have them focus on their future," Jolie told the Council on Foreign Relations on Tuesday.

The event was to help launch the actress’s new venture, the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict, which will focus on the work of prominent charity organizations as well as tell the stories of the children in need.

"Every child has a right to education and conflict is not a reason to ignore that," Jolie said.

Angie visited Iraq last August and has traveled to more than 2o humanitarian hot spots, including Sudan’s Darfur region since becoming a goodwill U.N. ambassador in 2001.

Prince Harry’s Brief Tour of Duty

February 29th, 2008 / Author: cwillett

Only a day after it was revealed that Prince Harry of England had been secretly serving in Afghanistan with the British military, the UK’s Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the youngest son of Prince Charles and Lady Diana is returning home.

Without being known publicly, the 23-year-old Prince had been fighting the Taliban in Helmand province as a battlefield air controller and Spartan light tank commander for the past 10 weeks. But after news of Harry’s not-so-secret operations were made public, he is now on his way back to England, amid concerns over both his safety and the safety of his fellow soldiers.

In a statement released Friday morning, the Ministry of Defence said: “Following a detailed assessment of the risks by the operational chain of command, the decision has been taken by Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, Chief of Defence Staff, in consultation with General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General Staff, to withdraw Prince Harry from Afghanistan immediately.

“This decision has been taken primarily on the basis that the worldwide media coverage of Prince Harry in Afghanistan could impact on the security of those who are deployed there, as well as the risks to him as an individual soldier.”

General Dannatt may be a name familiar to those who follow the Royals closely, as he had the dubious honor last year of announcing a U-turn on plans to deploy the Prince to Iraq after military intelligence picked up a series of specific threats to Harry and his comrades in Iraq.

No details are available on when he will arrive home.

Angelina Calls for Support for Iraq Refugees

February 28th, 2008 / Author: cwillett

Angelina Jolie has put pen to paper to write an op-ed piece in the Washington Post imploring the United States to help the two million displaced Iraq refugees.

"The request is familiar to American ears: ‘Bring them home,’" the star writes in the piece titled "Staying to Help in Iraq."

After visiting Iraq earlier this month, Angelina, a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, says that no progress has been made since her previous trip six months prior.

"However, during the last week, the United States, UNHCR and the Iraqi government have begun to work together in new and important ways," she writes.

She continues, "My visit left me even more deeply convinced that we not only have a moral obligation to help displaced Iraqi families, but also a serious, long-term, national security interest in ending this crisis."

The 32-year-old Oscar winner believes more money and troops need to be poured into this issue, stating, "we should step up our financial and material assistance."

"It seems to me that now is the moment to address the humanitarian side of this situation," Angelina says. "Without the right support, we could miss an opportunity to do some of the good we always stated we intended to do."

Click here to read the full article.

Angelina to Help Iraq Refugees

February 7th, 2008 / Author: cwillett

Globetrotting humanitarian Angelina Jolie has landed in Iraq, where she is examining the deafening refugee situation in the war torn country.

A goodwill ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Angelina believes there isn’t a "real coherent plan" to help the 2 million "very, very vulnerable" displaced citizens.

"There’s lots of goodwill. Lots of discussion, but there seems to be a lot of talk at the moment, and a lot of pieces that need to be put together," she says. "I’m trying to figure out what they are."

She continues, "How Iraq settles in the years to come is going to affect the entire Middle East. It’s in our best interest to address a humanitarian crisis on this scale because displacement can lead to a lot of instability and aggression."

More than 4.2 million Iraqis have fled their homes, 58 percent of whom are under the age of 12 and half of whom have sought refuge in neighboring Syria and Jordan, where the 32-year-old actress flew to earlier this week.

Angelina also met with U.S. Gen. David Petraeus about the issue and has urged the Iraqi government migration officials to increase their security measures.

One of her hopes, she adds, is to resettle refugees in the United States, and she would like to take in 12,000 people by September.

"I have to believe there are people working toward that goal," she says.

Chuck Norris: The New Angelina?

September 17th, 2007 / Author: cwillett

When Lance Corporal Samuel Petersen went off to join his fellow Marines in Iraq, there was no way the Colorado native could have foreseen that he’d be hobknobbing with some of Hollywood’s biggest A-listers. But that’s exactly what happened.

Last month, in a photo that ran exclusively here on OKmagazine.com, silver screen queen Angelina Jolie popped by to get a picture with Samuel and the other troops. And, today, the 22-year-old got the chance to meet Walker, Texas Ranger himself —  Chuck Norris!

“He thought it was so cool to be able to meet Angelina and now Chuck," Samuel’s mother, Sue, explains to OK!. "I think it really boosts their morale and takes their mind off what they’re doing.”

Chuck, who likes to come out and visit with the troops once a year and has been made an honorary Marine, regaled the soldiers with a story about him and Bruce Lee.

For full-size image, click HERE.

Katie Couric to Broadcast From Iraq

August 29th, 2007

Following hot on the heels of yesterday’s news about Angelina Jolie’s trip to the Middle East comes word that the CBS News anchor will leave behind the comfort of her Manhattan TV studio today (Aug. 29) for the war-torn tension of Iraq.
The award-winning journalist is set to anchor broadcasts of her CBS Evening News show from Baghdad on Sept. 4 and Sept. 5, before heading to Damascus, Syria, for the remainder of the week."You can’t help but get a very detached perspective when you’re not there and you’re not witnessing things firsthand," Katie told The Associated Press yesterday. "I’m curious about very basic questions regarding living conditions, about how much fear there is in the street, about how the soldiers really are doing. "CBS is the last of the three major network news programs to send an anchor to Iraq. In January 2006, ABC News’ Bob Woodruff was nearly killed by a roadside bomb. NBC’s Brian Williams made the trip himself to Iraq two months later.

EXCLUSIVE PHOTO! Angelina Visits the Troops in Iraq

August 29th, 2007

In this exclusive shot, Angie poses with Denver native Lance Corporal Samuel Petersen, 22, of the U.S. Marine Corps. The photo was taken today at Camp Waleed in Iraq, near the Waleed refugee camp that Angelina visited this morning. Petersen’s mother, Sue, tells OK! that the Marines at this camp are training the Iraqi police on how to do border patrol.

Angelina left partner Brad Pitt and their four children, Maddox, 6, Pax, 3, Zahara, 2, and Shiloh, 15 months, back in New York City. The Goodwill Ambassador jetted to Damascus, Syria, on Monday afternoon to visit a UNHCR registration center and talk to dozens of Iraqi refugees in their homes.

“I have come to Syria and Iraq to help draw attention to the humanitarian crisis and to urge governments to increase their support for UNHCR and its partners,” Angelina said in a statement. “My sole purpose in both countries is to highlight the plight of those uprooted by the war in Iraq.”

On Tuesday, the Oscar winner ventured over into Iraq to meet with American and international troops, in addition to the 1,200 refugees stationed at a makeshift outpost, as they are unable to leave the country.

For safety reasons, the 32-year-old made the trip by herself save for Mickey Brett, her head bodyguard, sources tell OK!

Angelina departed for the airport shortly after Brad and the kids’ return from their lunch date at Maddox’s favorite stomping grounds, Mars 2112. The source adds that Holly, Ange’s longtime assistant, is watching the four while the actress is overseas and Brad is at production meetings for his upcoming flick Burn After Reading.

The children were not told where their mother was going, only that she would be gone for a few days.

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