The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador and Hollywood actor Angelina Julie has been trying to adopt babies in several countries though she biologically owns one and is reported to be expecting another. Controversies are part and parcel of these initiatives that intend to help the underprivileged families finding sponsors for their kids.
Despite issues faced by the Oscar winning star of the action movie Tomb Raider and her boyfriend Brad Pitt, the glamorous couple on the earth is set to opt for more adoption across the world. They have already adopted two children – Maddox, a five-year old and Zahara, a 22-month old, and are looking at adopting one in India, though their plans are yet to take shape.
Do the adopted babies add value to their already swelling kitty? Future might have an answer for this though these kids will be brought under different geographies and culture. Their adorable baby Shiloh has already brought more fame for their family and attracted millions after the Hollywood couple sold the first public photographs to magazines and then donated the proceeds to charity. Besides Shiloh, the two adopted babies are also getting substantial media attention.
Following the adoption of Zahara from Ethiopia, a number of women had claimed Zahara’s motherhood giving a fresh phase to the adoption-related controversies. The controversy ended after an Ethiopian judge ruled that the woman who claimed to be her mother is not the biological mother.
Besides babies, Julie is keen to support humanitarian causes throughout the world visiting several countries, and is well known for her work with refugees through UNHCR. As the Goodwill Ambassador, Julie’s main focuss is on field missions. As part of the field missions, Julie visited refugees and internally displaced persons during her first three years as the Goodwill Ambassador.
Julie was subjected to criticism by the pop diva Madonna for using the former’s fame to assist the UN. According to the pop singer, she has done more good to the world by adopting the underprivileged.
In contrary to Madonna’s allegations, Julie was not just visiting refugee camps, but she also published Notes from My Travels, a collection of journal entries that chronicle her early field missions in 2001-2002 alongwith the release of one of her movies. The proceeds from the book sale was used to support the UNHCR initiatives. As part of her humanitarian work, Julie was already associated with several social issues by funding a number of projects and visited places like Thailand, Ecuador, Kosovo, Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Russia, North Caucasus, etc.
Julie’s celebrity status is making headlines everyday. She used her celebrity power to highlight humanitarian issues globally and get support from others. For instance, she promoted World Refugee Day 2006 in a two-hour interview with Anderson Cooper in CNN, and this program attracted more than double the audience of his typical newscast.
