Angelina Jolie donated $100K to UNHCR operations in Pakistan

Aug. 18, 2010 - Hollywood, California, U.S. - Angelina Jolie .attends the German premiere for the new film ''Salt'' .at Cinestar Theatre, Sony Center,Berlin Germany. 08-18-2010& xA; 2010& xA;K66140AM. © Red Carpet Pictures

There is a wealth of new Angelina Jolie interviews from her Berlin press tour – which was whirlwind – I think she was in town for 24 hours. Long enough for two costume changes, one an angel-tear-stained jewel tone sweater dress, and the other a baggy black halter sack by BCBG Max Azaria. While in Berlin, Angelina allegedly stayed in a 4,000-square-foot suite at the Adlon Hotel with Pax and Maddox, which is weird because I thought she was traveling with the twins. But – there were some reports that Brad was in France, so maybe she dropped the twins off in France when she was in Paris, and then took the boys to Berlin? Eh. Most of this information comes from German sites and shows, and has been translated by CB’s husband. Let’s run down the highlights:

When asked about Brad, Angelina said: “I have a strong partner. He is a great dad. He is my best friend. As long he loves me everything is perfect.”

Angelina also confirmed that she and Brad do not own property in Berlin, as previously reported, but said that she could “see herself” living in Berlin at some point, and that she and Brad have “friends” in Berlin. Christoph Waltz? Some architect? Sure. The RBB interview is here, but the video seems a little wonky for American viewers, so just be prepared.

Angelina also had a lot to say about the flooding in Pakistan. Apparently, Angelina announced that she had donated $100,000 to the UNHCR operations in Pakistan (considering hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis are homeless, the UNHCR operation is extensive). She also said she would like to go back to Pakistan to see the disaster-related refugee crisis first-hand, but that she was on standby because she did not want to get in the way and pull any resources. Here’s a little bit more:

Angelina Jolie says it’s vital that people help Pakistan’s flood victims and not surrender to compassion fatigue.

The floods have displaced 20 million people, but donations are below those for catastrophes like the Haitian earthquake or the Asian tsunami.

Jolie said she understood that “it is getting hard for people — they see Haiti, they see these other events … and they get exhausted by the time another big one rolls around.”
But she said Pakistanis face “mass death, mass displacement, and this situation is going to get worse.”

“I’m planning a trip, we’re contacting people on the ground and we’re speaking to people in the US government everyday.”

Jolie and partner Brad Pitt spent Thanksgiving in Pakistan in 2005 visiting victims of the earthquake which claimed the lives of over 73 thousand people.

“It’s such a catastrophe that it’s hard to know what to do but everyone should do something,” the Hollywood star added.

Jolie has visited Haiti, Iraq and other countries as a U.N. goodwill ambassador. The star says she might visit Pakistan once “the cameras go away.”

[From The AP & ITN]

Other quotes, via Berliner Morganpost print edition, regarding the tabloids: “I love my life, I do my job, I ignore them.” How she manages her life: “I have the means and opportunities, I have Brad, he is a great Dad, I just had a lot of luck. And I try to get the best out of every day.”

Here are some donation sites if you want to contribute:
The International Red Cross Donation page
The United Nations High Commission on Refugees – Pakistan Flood donation page
CARE donation page

U.S. actress Angelina Jolie poses during a photocall to promote her new movie Salt in Berlin, August 18, 2010. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (GERMANY - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT HEADSHOT)

U.S. actress Angelina Jolie poses as she arrives at the German premiere of her new movie Salt in Berlin August 18, 2010. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (GERMANY - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT)

Aug. 18, 2010 - Hollywood, California, U.S. - Angelina Jolie .attends the German premiere for the new film ''Salt'' .at Cinestar Theatre, Sony Center,Berlin Germany. 08-18-2010& xA; 2010& xA;K66140AM. © Red Carpet Pictures

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64 Responses to “Angelina Jolie donated $100K to UNHCR operations in Pakistan”

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  1. e says:

    I know a lot of you hate this woman but this is great publicity for the people suffering in Pakistan. The flooding there has not received anywhere near the amount of international attention/donations as the earthquake in Haiti.

  2. luke19 says:

    She is a wonderful human being.

  3. Lady Jane says:

    Isn’t it a bit tacky to ‘announce’ how much money you give to charities? A lot of citizens, both public and private make substantial donations to various worthy causes. It amazes me that Angelina, with all her ‘ignorance’ of the publicity machine surrounding her, has not mastered the art of a an anonmyous donation. She wants everyone to know what they give, to whom, and how much. It isn’t very appealing.

  4. LOVE ANGELINA says:

    Yea the flood in Pakistan certainly needs a bigger spotlight and it hasn’t really gotten one. I hope more people donate because the people in Pakistan were already suffering and now they will have even less. Angie usually is always going to give a donation. I have seen a lot more people on Twitter giving donations as well. Love that.

  5. e says:

    “It amazes me that Angelina, with all her ‘ignorance’ of the publicity machine surrounding her, has not mastered the art of a an anonmyous donation. She wants everyone to know what they give, to whom, and how much.”

    Yes she wants celebrities and wealthy people to know so that they will start donating large amounts. I am sure she also wants to bring it to the attention of people who are not wealthy so that they can donate what they can. If people don’t know then they won’t donate. They were just saying on the radio this morning that this disaster has not gotten enough attention or money. I don’t think she cares what you believe her motives to be, I think she just wants to bring attention to the cause.

  6. celandine says:

    “this is great publicity for the people suffering in Pakistan.”

    And even greater publicity for AJ, who I suspect is doing her publicity tour for Salt in a climate-changing, flood-causing private jet. How about if everyone who wanted to see that movie donated the ticket price to the UNHCR instead?

  7. Milou says:

    Merci Angelina d’être toujours aussi attentionnée envers ceux qui souffrent

  8. aenflex says:

    She does give a lot of time and brings a lot of attention to humanatarian causes, that’s a wonderful thing about her. More people in her position should contribute that way. I don’t even like her, I know, I know – but I can still respect her where she deserves it quite amply.

  9. Eve says:

    Really like her. About her humanitarian work: she is criticized if she talks about how much she’s donated, she’s criticized if she doesn’t…there’s nothing new here *shrugs*

    I love her face but I’m kind of getting tired of the bangs.

  10. LOVE ANGELINA says:

    Yea Celandine Angie totally called mother nature and was like yea I need some PR for a movie. Mother Nature was like I got you girl. Boom flood. *rolls eyes* Angelina has been doing this for 10+ years, the UNHCR usually always makes the announcement themselves regrading a donation. They want others to donate as well, Angie spreads awareness of the issue and more people get involved.

  11. lucy2 says:

    There are times I find donation announcements tacky, but in a situation like this were there is not enough attention or donations being made, I think it’s appropriate.

  12. cutie says:

    Why announce it?

  13. denise says:

    @ Cutie

    Good press for her and brings awareness to the situation.

  14. Fluffy Kitten Tail says:

    Odd, I was aware of the situation in Pakistan before Jolie got involved.

    I do not need a celebrity face to tell me what is going on in the world. I watch the news, I read the papers.

  15. Lita says:

    The entire concept of a celeb going/talking etc about some devastating incident gives me the heebies. Because I understand that it works – that’s what bothers me. I visit celebrity gossip sites for celebrity gossip. I gain my hard news elsewhere and generate my opinions. That people can be so wilfully out of touch with the world around them that it it taken an Angelina or whomever else for them to notice and then act (as the celebrity tells them to) .. yeesh. That’s bad.

  16. Toe says:

    To spread awareness, don’t u usually have to announce it? So it’s all in all for a good cause. She’s been doing this for how long now? and there are still comments about public donations?

  17. LindyLou says:

    In case anyone is curious as to what Milou said – Merci Angelina d’être toujours aussi attentionnée envers ceux qui souffrent

    Translated – Thank you Angelina to be always so attentive towards those who suffer.

  18. Jen D says:

    I might have missed it, but I didn’t see anywhere a direct quote from AJ about how much she donated (if any).

    I think that AJ is extremely savvy. She knows how to use her celebrity to bring attention to places like Pakistan (and Darfur, and Haiti, etc, etc). She’s in a unique position make people who only read about celebrities aware of what’s going on. That being said, I don’t think she’s a saint, or an angel, or whatever. I think the front-line workers, like those associated with Dr’s Without Borders or the Red Cross are more deserving of that title. I’m not knocking her – she’s freaking amazing, but there’s no celebrity out there who should be held above those people.

  19. masonwasp says:

    I appreciate that she walks the talk. She doesn’t pull useless stunts a la Sean Penn (renting a leaky boat in the wake of Katrina). She actually gives money to organizations that are run by professionals and are working hard to make a difference. And if she gets some publicity and raises awareness, even better. Good for her.

  20. Moreaces says:

    I know you are not reading this, but Thanks Angelina for being such a great giver back, you have made this world a better place by being here.. Continue to have a big heart, and give to others that are in such great need,, You are a blessing

  21. teri says:

    I think it’s great that thier foundation can help the world out in natural disasters. Don’t hush her up or call her names, just shows me that you simply are a negative person who doesn’t care about others.
    When Angelina donates others like myself do as well.

  22. teri says:

    You are right she’s been donating her own time, research and money for ten + years and going strong.

  23. Moreaces says:

    Yes she wants celebrities and wealthy people to know so that they will start donating large amounts. I am sure she also wants to bring it to the attention of people who are not wealthy so that they can donate what they can. If people don’t know then they won’t donate. They were just saying on the radio this morning that this disaster has not gotten enough attention or money. I don’t think she cares what you believe her motives to be, I think she just wants to bring attention to the cause
    =============
    beautiful and classy response

  24. Moreaces says:

    Yea Celandine Angie totally called mother nature and was like yea I need some PR for a movie. Mother Nature was like I got you girl. Boom flood. *rolls eyes* Angelina has been doing this for 10+ years, the UNHCR usually always makes the announcement themselves regrading a donation. They want others to donate as well, Angie spreads awareness of the issue and more people get involved.
    ===========
    Well Thank You Girl,, Its sad how a horrible event like this, still can bring out the bitterness in broken people that hate

  25. Tootie says:

    Wow, another conveniently timed, publicly announced donation! I’m sure it has nothing to do with a new movie and a bunch of horrible press. Nothing at all.

    So tacky, but I’m glad that people are benefiting from her tax write off.

  26. canadianchick says:

    Good for her to raise more awareness, there are things about her I don’t like, but she seems sincere about humanitarian causes.

  27. celandine says:

    @ Love Angelina: “Yea Celandine Angie totally called mother nature and was like yea I need some PR for a movie.”

    Any multi-millionairess can scoop a handful of change out from the back of the sofa for charity, but if she was prepared to make even a little genuine self-sacrifice to reduce her colossal carbon footprint – man-made environmental factors no doubt contributing to the flood – I’d have a lot more respect for her.

    The same goes for “environmentalists” like Leo Di Caprio & Julia Roberts.

  28. Lita says:

    Thank you Teri, for illustrating my prior point. I’m not sure a fall guy could have done it better.

  29. Lita says:

    @masonwasp – I don’t know much about Sean Penn, and what I do I like little of. But I believe that he actually (until recently or still now?) living in Haiti personally working to help rebuild. Rafts notwithstanding, surely there are better examples of celebrity “spinvolvement” – like Lindsay Lohan, with ‘1 day in India and 30 children saved’ or similar she said. Or was it J alba who pasted up those asinine posters?

  30. Bina says:

    Thank you Angelina. The people of Pakistan thank you for being the only celebrity who gives a rat’s ass about what happens to them as a result of floods that have displaced 20 million people.

  31. Praise St. Angie! says:

    sheesh.

    for whatever kind of publicity she gets for this, IT’S A GOOD THING SHE DID.

    Please, people, don’t hate on her for this.

  32. skibunny says:

    I think we are all aware of the situation. If it takes a “Hollywood Starlet” to motivate us into donating that’s pathetic. I’m with Fluffy Kitten Tail on this one.

  33. Kitten says:

    We live in a celeb-obsessed culture. This is not news. If it takes a celeb to motivate people to donate who gives a shit? The charity still gets the money in the end and I’m pretty sure that’s all that matters. As far as to what motivates Angie to donate-again, who cares? I doubt flood victims really have the luxury of ruminating over where the money came from and why it was donated. Frankly, that’s probably not a huge concern to them right now. Anyway, the end effect is still the same.

  34. Kim says:

    Really Mosley and how often do Brad’s parents visit Jennifer or vice versa since you are such an insider. I’m Just curious since Brad’s grandmother claimed she never met Jen despite the fact they were together 7 yrs. Also where was the outrage when Sandra Bullock announced she donated $1 million to Doctor’s w/o Borders for Haiti earthquake relief, or when she announced she donated she donated $1 milliom to the Red Cross for Katrina or the $1 million she announced she donated for the tsunami victims. Oh BTW Mosley I’m sure they will appreciate your $100 donation.Angie has donated to Pakistan before ,after the earthquake and for refugees last year.Charities often publicize /announce their donors

  35. EMV says:

    something is better than nothing. I think she is trying to bring more attention to the situation in Pakistan rather than bringing attention to herself…maybe i’m wrong

  36. BethL says:

    I’m always surprised by how stupd haters are. I never understood the ridiculous logic that Angelina works with the UN to promote her movies. People don’t waste their time and money on something they don’t want to see or do. Nobody is going to think “since Angelina made a donation, I’m going to see Salt”. I doubt Angelina made an announcement considering she hasn’t in the past. Usually it comes from public records or the UN who wants to publicize a disaster. Also it’s amusing how when every other celebrity make donations and humanitarian trips everybody thinks it’s wonderful. Angelina does it and gets nothing but complete hatred.

  37. masonwasp says:

    Lita – that’s kinda what I mean. I’m sure that Sean Penn means well. As someone who works in non-profits, part of me suspects that the professionals doing the relief efforts wish Sean would do as AJ does – just send a check and let people do their jobs.

    Of course, I could be projecting. He seems a particularly humorless and self-righteous sort.

  38. Sakyiwaah says:

    Wow, this is classic sensationalism at work. i don’t think she would announce the amount of money she donated (if any) on TV like that. Has she ever done that on American TV? i really doubt these reports (not to mention, they are in German), Kaiser, but, of course, tis your duty to report ALL news. 🙂 besides, if she did donate that money, you know what the people in Pakistan are saying… thank you, Angelina Jolie!

  39. DD says:

    @Teri – I don’t know but perhaps you should work on making yourself a better person by caring about the world whether or not Angelina is involved. The Pakistan situation has received a lot of news coverage on the internet etc… you didn’t need Angelina to tell you really. Kind of shows how shallow you are. But I respect that Angelina can at least reach out to people like you. So even if she is just reaching vapid people, she is doing her job.

  40. jodie says:

    This may seem terrible but I’m wary of donating money to the country unless it goes directly to an american charity who will send them the supplies and services they need and that that is transparent to donors. Pakistan has a LOT to do with terrorism and the taliban and is a very corrupt country.

  41. Kim says:

    UN sources say she donated $100,000 to UNHCR, she did not make an announcement.

  42. Uma says:

    Based on her $15 Million minimum salary for Salt, it’s not a bad amount to donate, but not very significant either. It would be the equivalent of me donating $333.

  43. Anon says:

    Correct me if I’m wrong and I did listen to the interviews, no where did I hear Angelina say she donated 100Gs to the Pakistan disaster, she urged people to do what they could. So I think the announcement came from UNHCR, perhaps they were hoping others would step up too.
    It is nice to see journalists from other countries ask intelligent, thoughtful questions free from hateful snark.

  44. masonwasp says:

    …and this is why this site ain’t called Celefriendly. DAYUM. hehe.

  45. lucy2 says:

    My goodness. Seems the medications levels of some must be off today! Oh, post removed, never mind.

    jodie, I’m always a little cautious about where I donate also. The best thing is to check them out on charity navigator – you can search “pakistan flood” and it will bring up a bunch of charities working on it, giving you their efficiency ratings and financial info.

  46. e-non says:

    she ‘announced’ her contribution… oh really? surely there’s video or photos of this ‘announcement’.

    why no link?

    i suspect she answered a question put to her in an interview. but, you know, can’t resist those cheap shots.

  47. Lita says:

    Masonwasp – sorry, I misunderstood. Thought it was a ‘do they walk the walk’ question :o)

  48. Solveig says:

    I’m not going to give a cent to the UNHCR considering that through the years indipendent journalism often reports how UN gives a effing s*it about those african people it should defend. It’s no news that while people in Africa fight, the UN stays there to defend mines or whatever activity sponsored by some western companies.
    I would post a link of one of these stories, but it seems I can’t find one (in english)…
    And I’m quite tired of this everlasting state of emergency, not because I’m selfish, but because each of our donation is nothing, it’s just a symbol of our lack of will in sharing our wealth.
    Those country where people and children die everyday for starvation are in poverty condition because we are rich.

    As someone says above, I too find really pathetic the ones who are moved by this kind of tragedy just when celebrities talk about it.

  49. If it's not announced, what's the impact? says:

    Maybe, I’m just too logical, but my thinking is… if a celebrity donates and it is a big secret, what publicity does one bring to the cause?

  50. Camille says:

    I see nothing to hate on here. She seems like she is a very caring human being, with the means to help others which is a commendable thing.
    At least she isn’t some airhead bimbo, who has nothing of interest to say and can barely string a sentence together. Have to say I am becoming something of an AJ fan.

  51. someone says:

    Cool..another tax write-off

  52. Majosha says:

    DD: Excellent post. While I applaud Angelina and everyone else who donates their money and/or time to people in need, anyone who first learned of the flooding in Pakistan via an AJ-related post on some gossip blog is an ignorant fool.

  53. Jen D says:

    @Jodie

    The Red Cross is a great organization to donate to. They don’t just bring aid to an area, they also try to buy supplies from the country in question (when possible) to boost their economy as well.

    I think you’re smart to be very wary of who you donate to. Sadly there are organizations out there who donate to the government itself, which is not always a wise decision.

  54. Isa says:

    I am so sick of people saying she just does it for the publicity or for a tax write off. If she really wanted to promote a movie she could be doing tons of other things like more interviews, hawking products, meet and greets with the fans.

    Anyway, what does it matter her motives IF IT’S BEING DONE?!?!

    I didn’t know about the flooding until this morning!!!! I’m not an avid news reader, but I remember hearing stuff about the earthquake in Haiti every few hours!

  55. Holly says:

    She’s filthy rich. If she decides to give some pocket change to a charity, I say good on her and more where that came from. I’m with others on this thread that say that her motives seem…off. But money is money, no matter how tainted. I’m sure the people in Pakistan don’t care! I have to agree with fluffy kitten tail also: if you need a celeb to help orient you to a cause, then bad form.

  56. Holly says:

    And back to the celeb gossip: It’s irritating to me how blatantly she pretends to not be aware of the tabloids or what’s being printed about her. Yet, she’s got some sort of 6th sense that lets her know she needs to tell everyone about the reasoning behind shiloh’s wardrobe, for example. Yeah, angie. I’m sure shiloh, at the ripe age of four, is stylistically gifted enough to pick out beige blazers, navy striped sailor shirts and loafers that are all perfectly matched and definitely a la “montenegro”. Give me a break! Seems like every interview she does lately is to contradict her negative press and let everyone know she has the best life ever and “doesn’t care”. Thou dost protest too much…

  57. Jen D says:

    @Holly

    That’s probably because people were asking her about Shiloh’s clothes. Please tell me you’re not one of those people who is actually bothered by what Shiloh wears.

  58. JY says:

    she is wonderful. love her.

  59. Cheyenne says:

    @Jen D: Check out http://www.Charity-navigator.org for a list of really good charities to donate to. The Red Cross spends a sizeable chunk of its donations on administrative expenses, way more than other organizations do, and they are paying their CEO $500,000 a year.

    There are a lot of charities to give to than the Red Cross that will spend your money better.

  60. jennyk says:

    criticized if she gives criticized if she doesnt.
    im sure she makes a lot of donations with out announcing them but the point of this is to raise awareness and encourage other celebrities to give.

    also he motives off? shes been doing this for years now and not just giving money but getting in there on the ground. its pretty clear that it really means something to her. i study international development at uni, been to some ngos in africa and im telling you its hard to not want to help more once you’ve seen whats going on/

  61. poppy says:

    the best foundation to donate to in Pakistan is EDHI. That man is wonderful, and he has ALWAYS helped the needy. He even went to Haiti. I can guarantee that the money donated to EDHI will be used for the right reasons because I live in Pakistan.

  62. Linna says:

    Isn’t Pakistan the place where the extreme terrist muslims just murdered 11 doctors and surgeons that came to help the people???? Hope she is not banking the terrist and extremist but the poor abused woman and children, where is the money going?

  63. Kim says:

    Angie is in Bosnia for UNhCR new pics of twins on yuku jjb Knox holding a toy plane.Viv in mommy’s arms.

  64. Lisa says:

    Good for her. She probably doesn’t keep it anonymous because she wants to bring attention to the issue she’s donating money for. That attention could then be worth a lot more money to the cause.

    Does anyone else think her face has looked different lately? I am rather sad, because I thought she hit a sweet spot with things she’d had done to her face (nose job for sure, possibly other stuff), but now her face looks extra-square and her chin strangely pointy and her skin sort of odd. Hopefully she will stop the new stuff so she goes back to looking like the normal, amazingly beautiful Angelina.