Hollywood actress and humanitarian activist Angelina Jolie wrote a painful note on the devastating floods in Pakistan. Jolie, who recently visited the flood-affected areas in Pakistan as UNHCR ambassador, shared the details of the catastrophe in her Instagram post.
“Last week I was in Pakistan with the local organizations, to witness the devastation caused by severe flooding which submerged 1/3 of the country’s land,” the actor penned.
“33 million people are affected, and over 6 million need emergency humanitarian assistance. Pakistan also still hosts over a million Afghan refugees who are unable to return safely due to the current situation,” the Hollywood star added.
Jolie continued, “Those I was able to reach were still in shock from having fled the Taliban and now knowing the country they have fled to is in an emergency. The level of trauma and compound trauma is severe. Please learn and follow what is happening. Be aware of the climate catastrophe that we are seeing more regularly.”
“Push governments to understand that lack of fair trade, rising emissions, and failure to address conflicts are causing more death and suffering to millions of families around the world,” said Jolie.
“I’ve never seen anything like this, and I have been to Pakistan many times,” she previously shared. “I am absolute with you in pushing the international community to do more. I feel that we say that often… we speak of aid appeals, relief and support, but this is something very, very different,” stressed the actress.
Read more: Floods in Pakistan: Global response and responsibilities
She again said that the flood is a wake-up call for the world. “Climate change is not only real, and it is not only coming, but it is also here,” she warned. “Even as somebody who has been in humanitarian aid for many years. We think of crises how to solve them and, what can we do to help rebuild or help the children. Now we’re in a situation like this where the needs are so great and truly every effort means life or death for so many people.”
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She raised the concern about the food crisis in the upcoming months for the children, especially for children who she fears will suffer from malnutrition.
“Even if they make it next few months with the winter coming and the destruction of the crops and the hard reality … I am overwhelmed but I feel it is not fair to say that because I am not living this so I simply try to speak out for help. I can’t even imagine what it feels like to be there.”
Angelina Jolie said that she will continue to return to Pakistan. “I will return and continue to return and my heart is very, very much with the people at this time,” she further said. The actress again urged the international community to donate generously to the flood victims in Pakistan.