Priyanka Chopra was recently in the news for traveling with UNICEF to Ethiopia to share with refugee and native children in the area. It was a big deal as the organization continues to work to help provide education in the country.
As a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Priyanka got to travel to the country and meet with many refugee children and young people living in the Bambasi refugee camp, home to 17,000 refugees largely from Sudan, and Hitsats and Adi-Harush camps, where 55,000 refugees from Eritrea live.
“Children uprooted from their homes by war and disaster endure the most disruption to their lives,” Priyanka shared. “They miss out on education, healthcare and stability, which makes them extremely vulnerable to violence, abuse or exploitation.”
The actress got to see the refugee schools which were packed with students eager to learn and grow in spite of their circumstances. She danced and took pictures with them, but also listened to their stories and dreams. UNICEF is currently working with the government to help train teachers and provide books and other supplies, as well as building schools and classrooms.
“What I saw in Ethiopia is the capacity of human beings to empathize with and alleviate human suffering,” Priyanka shared. “Ethiopia is a shining example of what we – individuals, communities, and governments – can do to help those who have been displaced by conflict and humanitarian disasters by allowing an open-door policy to refugees and providing protection to those seeking asylum in the country.”
Watch clips of Priyanka’s time there below!
Universal access to education in our world is so important to carve the young minds coming up. Glad to see that Priyanka is standing strong with UNICEF and brought smiles to the faces of so many!
Imperfectly B 