Angelina Jolie
 SSF’s highest honor, The Style and Substance Award in honor of Audrey Hepburn will be presented to Angelina Jolie, for her tireless work as a concerned global citizen and active United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador. The dedication to her craft that garnered Angelina an Academy Award for her performance in Girl, Interrupted in 1999 is reflected in her efforts for the UNHCR, a UN agency that currently assists 20 million refugees in approximately 120 countries. Angelina's involvement with UNHCR began with a mission to Sierra Leone, a small African country that, like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has been devastated by years of brutal civil war. Seeing firsthand the enormous challenges that refugees face was a life-altering experience for Angelina, who decided to use her fame to aid their cause. In 2001, she was named a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. "It is an obligation to be here and to help the people," Jolie said of a recent trip to Pakistan. "I'm sorry we're in this situation, but I am so glad to be here for them."
photos copyright © UNHCR |
As a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, Angelina uses her status as a superstar to generate media coverage about the plight of refugees and the conditions under which they live. She has traveled widely to remote refugee camps and receiving centers in countries including Tanzania, Namibia, Cambodia, Pakistan, Thailand, and Ecuador. To further raise awareness, she has released her personal journals for select field visits that can be accessed at USA for UNHCR. For her efforts, Angelina has been honored with the Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program Humanitarian Award. While hosting "What's Going On?" Angelina was inspired by the stories of the Fataki brothers, Echa Nyange and Sofia Mocke, all children living at the Lugufu refugee camp in Tanzania. Tragically, their stories are all too familiar to Angelina, who has met thousands of men, women, and children forced to flee from their homes and struggle to survive as refugees. "You go to these places and you realize what life's really about and what people are really going through," says Ms. Jolie. "These people are my heroes." She has visited a dozen war zones, and adopted her Cambodian son after a mission to his native country. She first contacted the UN to see if she could help after spending 10 days in refugee camps in Afghanistan. Ruud Lubbers, the UN high commissioner for refugees, said: "She has helped put the spotlight on the disenfranchised group -- refugees -- and also those who are not in the headlines and who are victims of long forgotten crises. She gives a voice to millions of uprooted people across the globe."
The Style and Substance Award in honor of Audrey Hepburn is SSF's highest honor and recognizes outstanding efforts by a celebrity, style professional or public figure to improve the quality of life of children around the world. Originally inspired by Audrey Hepburn’s work with UNICEF, this award is selected by SSF and Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund (AHCF) boards and advisors. Last year, it was