U.N. Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie was clearly emotional when speaking at a press conference in Pakistan yesterday about refugees displaced by the recent onslaught of flooding in the country.
After a reporter asked her what she could do “for these people” affected by this natural disaster, she answered in a somber voice while holding back tears, “I just met with people. I am very emotional. I have just come from the fields.” Jolie also added, “And I wasn’t prepared for a press conference, so I’m going to do my best.”
She then went on to say that these floods were “on a scale we have not seen the likes of” and that “long term assistance” would be needed to help the victims. In fact estimates are that over 17,000,000 Pakistanis have been devastated. And $43 billion dollars worth of damage has been done to agriculture and infrastructure, but less than a fraction of that amount has been received to help.
Despite allegations of corruption in the Pakistani government, Angelina is still urging people to assist through monetary donations remarking, “I don’t want some people to use it (corruption) as an excuse not to give assistance. I have seen what they have done in the field. I’ve physically seen people assisted, so if you are nervous about giving money directly in one way there are other ways to do it.”
While in Islamabad, the Oscar winning actress was also asked about her thoughts on Evangelical Pastor Terry Jones who has incited his followers to burn Qurans on September 11th-the 9th Anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. She responded, “I have hardly the words that somebody would do that to somebody’s religious book.”
image: telegraph uk
