Millions of families have lost their homes to violence and war
1 refugee family without shelter is too many

Each year on June 20th the United Nations and countless civic groups around the world celebrate World Refugee Day.

World Refugee Day was established by the United Nations to honor the courage, strength and determination of women, men and children who are forced to flee their homes under threat of persecution, conflict and violence. Millions need your help.

 You can help refugees rebuild their lives. Take a stand with Special Envoy of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Angelina Jolie by adding your name to her new public service announcement – details here.

Most people in America don’t realize – there are over 43.7 million refugees and internally displaced people around the world and of those, UNHCR provides lifesaving assistance and protection to 33.9 million of them.

Imagine being the mother of a sick and hungry child and having to decide between risking your life staying in a conflict or leaving behind everything in search of safety. UNHCR provides tents, shelter, supplies and life-saving services to refugees – 80% are women and children. Millions of refugees need help all around the world – 1 family torn apart by war is too many.

Our goal is to share refugee stories with you – to get the word out, so compassionate people across America will extend their generosity and concern to support --1 family at a time. You can help us. Please take action now.

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Message of UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie on World Refugee Day 2012

Press Releases, 20 June 2012

UNHCR believes even 1 person forced to flee is too many. And it's true. Every individual refugee matters. Each has their own story. Each has suffered and survived more than I could ever bear. And yet, they rise up to live another day.

We risk forgetting the individual when we speak in numbers, but the numbers tell an important story. In the past year 4.3 million people have become displaced. There are still 2.7 million refugees from Afghanistan. 12 million people are stateless. And for the fifth consecutive year the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide exceeded 42 million.

Sadly, a person who becomes a refugee is likely to remain one for many years – often stuck in a camp or living precariously in the city of a developing nation. 70 per cent of refugees under UNHCR's protection have been in this situation for more than five years. Their safety and well-being depend on the continued generosity of those countries who have kept their borders open to refugees, and on the vital efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance wherever and whenever it is necessary.

Unfortunately, the world is producing displaced people faster than it is producing solutions to displacement. And the solutions are not exclusively humanitarian – they are also political. The international community should rededicate itself to preventing conflict, addressing it when it erupts, and solving it more quickly, for that is the only way to create durable solutions for the refugees whose strength inspires us on this World Refugee Day.

Angelina Jolie, 20th June 2012

UNHCR is grateful to Ms. Jolie for a new donation made today of US$100,000 for our work in helping Syrian refugees

The Syrian Expatriates Organizations (SEO) Extends its Gratitude to Actress Angelina Jolie for her Support of Syrian Refugees

The Syrian Expatriates Organization expresses its gratitude to actress Angelina Jolie for her support of Syrian refugees. According to the United Nations, the actress recently donated $100,000 in aid to Syria refugees on World Refugee Day.

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Angelina Jolie marks World Refugee Day with donation

(PRWEB) June 20, 2012

The Syrian Expatriates Organization expresses its gratitude to actress Angelina Jolie for her support of Syrian refugees. According to the United Nations, the actress recently donated $100,000 in aid to Syria refugees on World Refugee Day.

See: Angelina Jolie Donates $100,000 to Syrian Refugees http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/syria/120620/angelina-jolie-donates-100000-syrian-refugees

Ms. Jolie is a Special Envoy and a former Goodwill Ambassador of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In 2011, she visited a Syrian Refugee Camp in Turkey where she met with civilians who had fled the violence in their homeland. According to UNHCR, there are over 77,199 registered Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.

See: Angelina Jolie in Turkey to Meet with Syrian Refugees http://articles.cnn.com/2011-06-17/world/turkey.jolie.visit_1_refugee-agency-goodwill-ambassador-turkey?_s=PM%3AWORLD
See: UNHCR: Syria Regional Refugee Response http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php

“The plight of Syrian refugees remains a tragic one, with waves of people fleeing their homes from the violence of the Assad regime and seeking refuge in neighboring countries,” said SEO Chairman Dr. Iyad Azrak. “While we appreciate the host countries’ efforts to provide basic humanitarian needs for the refugees, we also recognize that there needs to be a concerted effort from the international community to step in and provide more monetary support and social services in these host countries, especially Lebanon and Jordan, where resources are being stretched thin. We thank Ms. Jolie for her contribution, and for shedding a light on the plight of Syrian refugees. We urge everyone to continue to donate generously to help alleviate the suffering of Syrian refugees,” Azrak said.

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‘Boardwalk Empire’s Michael Kenneth Williams Joins ‘Twelve Years A Slave’

Michael Kenneth Williams has been added to the cast of Twelve Years A Slave. The actor joins Michael Fassbender, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Brad Pitt in the Steve McQueen-directed film. Raising Hope‘s Garret Dillahunt, Paul Dano and SNL’s Taran Killam are also in Twelve Years. Williams, best known for playing Chalky White on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and Omar Little on The Wire, will play “Robert,” a mutinous slave in Twelve Years.  The film is an adaptation of Solomon Northup’s 1853 book about a free black man who is drugged and dragged to the South to be sold into slavery. New Regency is backing the film. River Road and Plan B are producing. Twelve Years A Slave is filming in New Orleans. Williams is repped by The Collective and attorney Elsa Ramo.

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'Twelve Years A Slave' Becomes More Awesome By Adding Michael K. Williams

Michael K. Williams aka Omar from "The Wire" aka Chalky White from "Boardwalk Empire" has come on board the film joining (take a very deep breath): Chiwetel Ejiofor, Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Scoot McNairy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti, Paul Dano, Sarah Paulson, Garrett Dillahunt, Ruth Negga, Taran Killam, Adepero Oduye and Alfre Woodard. The film tells the true story of Solomon Northup, a freed slave who is tricked back into slavery, faces a grueling life under several owners and has to go court to reclaim his status. Williams will play a mutinous slave named Robert.

Movie Casting Roundup: ‘Wolf of Wall Street’, ‘Twelve Years A Slave’, ‘You Are Here’, ‘Claire’s Cambodia’