Angelina Jolie pens powerful essay on the global refugee crisis

The philanthropic said education is the “key” to rebuilding war-torn countries

Angelina Jolie has penned a powerful essay on the refugee crisis.

TheUN Refugee Agency special envoy called the crisis a “major challenge for our generation”.

But she maintained that the situation wasn’t ‘hopeless’.

“I’ve seen how much it weighs on refugee parents when they are unable to send their children to school, knowing that with each passing year, their life prospects are shrinking and their vulnerability is growing,” she wrote.

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“Refugees themselves are not passively waiting for help but are actively searching for ways to be part of the recovery of their countries. Education is a key to helping them to do this,” the Mr. and Mrs. Smith actress added.

The mother-of-six ended her essay urging wealthier countries to “address humanitarian funding shortfalls” so that refugee parents don’t have to choose between food and school for their children.

This isn’t the first time the actress-activist has pledged her support for refugees.

Earlier this year, she brought her daughters, 11-year-old Shiloh and 13-year-old Zahara, along to greet Syrian refugees arriving at the Jordan border.

In June, the 42-year-old UNHCR Special Envoy also headed to an Iraqi refugee camp, calling it “the worst devastation I have seen in all my years working with UNHCR”.

“Every man I met talked about the lashes and punishments inflicted by the extremists. The girls I met talked about the years of not being able to go to school, and of seeing people killed, and of feeling too afraid to leave their houses. It is deeply upsetting that people who have endured unparalleled brutality have so little as they try, somehow, to rebuild the lives they once had.” – UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie is pictured here with Falak, a little girl who is just eight years old, in Mosul today. . Falak has a gene disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. She told Jolie who she had seen a man killed in front of her during the ISIS occupation of the city. Less than a year after its liberation, much of West Mosul still lies in ruins. . Speaking in Mosul, Special Envoy Jolie said: “I have no words for the strength it must take to rebuild after loss like this. But that is what the people of this city are doing. They are grief-stricken and traumatized, but they are also hopeful. They are clearing their homes with their own hands, and volunteering and helping each other. But they need our assistance.” . The visit marked Angelina Jolie’s 61st mission – and her fifth visit to Iraq – with the UN Refugee Agency since 2001. She arrived in the city on the second day of Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan. . Read her full statement and see more on Angelina Jolie’s visit today on our Facebook page (Facebook.com/UNHCR) . 📸 Photo Credit – UNHCR / @andrewmcconnellphoto . Mosul #Iraq #AngelinaJolie #UNHCR #eid #refugees #withrefugees #hope #eidalfitr #ramadan

A post shared by UN Refugee Agency (@refugees) on Jun 16, 2018 at 11:23am PDT