MANILA, Philippines — Hollywood star Angelina Jolie donated $1 million to feed underprivileged children whose access to school lunches was cut off by school closures due to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Reports said that she gave $1 million to the charity No Kid Hungry.
In a statement released by the organization, Angelina said the foundation is making resolute efforts to reach as many children as possible.
“As of this week, over a billion children are out of school worldwide because of closures linked to coronavirus,” Angelina said.
“Many children depend on the care and nutrition they receive during school hours, including nearly 22 million children in America who rely on food support,” she added.
For his part, Billy Shore, founder and executive chair of Share Our Strength, the organization behind No Kid Hungry, said that over the past week, people from all walks of life have risen to the unprecedented challenge of feeding hungry kids during a global pandemic.
“I’ve heard stories of heart-breaking need and immense creativity, but above all persistence – a sense that we won’t let any barrier stand between a child and the healthy meals they need,” he said.
Angelina, who is famous for her philanthropy, has worked extensively with the United Nations and co-wrote a Time essay promoting the new Global Education Coalition, which seeks to facilitate remote education as schools close around the world.
Apart from Angelina, celebrities such as Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams started a fundraiser for No Kid Hungry last week.
As nationwide school closures disrupt the education for more than 1.5 billion students worldwide or 87 percent of total enrolled learners, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today announced it will significantly scale up support in all countries to help children continue their learning while keeping schools safe.
“Schools in the majority of countries worldwide have closed. It is an unprecedented situation and unless we collectively act now to protect children’s education, societies and economies will feel the burden long after we’ve beaten COVID-19. In the most vulnerable communities, the impact will span generations,” said Robert Jenkins, UNICEF Global Chief of Education.
“Based on lessons learned with the school closures in response to Ebola, the longer children stay away from school, the less likely they are to ever return. Giving children alternative ways to learn and also by doing so, rebuild a routine is a critical part of our response,” said Jenkins.
To help curb the disruption to children’s education and keep children learning safely, UNICEF has allocated additional funding to accelerate work with governments and partners in more than 145 low- and middle-income countries. The initial global allocation of US $13 million – nearly $9 million of which is from a contribution made by the Global Partnership for Education – will be catalytic by supporting national governments and a wide range of education partners in each country to develop plans to enable a rapid, system-wide response.
The initiative will enable countries to prepare alternative learning programmes in the case of school closures and help schools keep children and their communities safe by providing vital information on handwashing and other hygiene practices. The funds will also help support children’s mental health and prevent stigma and discrimination by encouraging students to avoid stereotypes when talking about the virus.