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$200,000 to help educate girls in Pakistan.
Angelina Jolie will donate $200,000 to the Malala Fund, a fund set up by Vital Voices Partnership to help activist Malala Yousafzai promote the education of girls in Pakistan. “The Taliban shot Malala point blank in the head and only made her stronger,” Jolie said at the fourth annual Women in the World Summit Thursday night. Yousafzai, 15, appeared in a video message speaking about her foundation, asking for donations to “let us turn the education of 40 girls into 40 million.” Jolie's speech closed out the first night of the summit, which also featured a call to arms from Tina Brown encouraging women to “lean on,” Barbara Walters urging action for the women in Syria, and Christiane Amanpour moderating a panel on the next generation of Malalas in Pakistan.
USAToday
Jolie speaks, Streep drops F-bomb at Women in the World
Celebrities, activists and politicians headed to New York City Thursday for the fourth annual Women in the World Summit.Hillary Clinton will join Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, Diane von Furstenberg, Barbara Walters, Angelina Jolie and even Tom Hanks as featured speakers in the annual conference which highlights global women's issues.
The night started off with powerful video and story of Micheala DePrince, once an orphan in Sierra Leone after her mother starved to death. DePrince, now the youngest ballerina at the Dance Theater of Harlem Company brought members of the audience to tears.
Meryl Streep stood before the packed audience, getting a huge applause as soon as the lights came up. She spoke about Ireland's activist and peacemaker Inez McCormick, switching in and out of an Irish accent.
The audience went crazy when Streep dropped the F-bomb.
Barbara Walters of ABC News took the stage to talk about "why we need to care about the women in Syria." The audience erupted in applause to see Walters who has recently been sick. She was in the news after taking six weeks away from The View as she recovered from the chickenpox and a concussion.
Clad in a tan suit, she sat on the stage with two other women: Dr. Mouna Ghanem, an anti-regime activist, and Zainab Salbi, founder of Women for Women international.
"We hear about women being raped," Walters says. "Are they being raped by [Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's] people? By the rebels? Is that really the case?"
Panelists weighed in on this and other issues in Syria, particularly America's role in the crisis.
"The Americans lack of decision making of what to do in Syria has created a political gap," Salbi says."America has to interfere actually, that doesn't mean military. In the Middle East right now, women are the battlefield. We need to care."
Walters calls out to the crowd: "What time is it? Do you know how much time we have left to talk?"
The audience loves her candid demeanor, juxtaposed with the tragic issues of rape in Syria she is interviewing the panel about.
Walters was escorted, arm-in-arm slowly off of the stage at the conclusion of the panel.
Charlie Rose, co-host of CBS This Morning, interviewed Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, a legendary fighter against apartheid. Ramphele spoke of forming a bold new political party.
"Once you reach full consciousness, you have no choice but to be a change agent," Ramphele says.
Ramphele draws laughter from the crowd when she says, "Nelson Mandela is a father figure to me. And like all father figures he uses hyperbole."
Rose asked her if she would be the president of South Africa.
"My duty is to focus on the future ... To make a future that would make Mr. Mandela proud," Ramphele says.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaod Chinoy introduces two young women from Pakistan: Khalida Brohi, founder and director of Sughar Women Program, and Humaira Bachal, founder and president of the Dream Trust Foundation. These young women are risking their lives for the rights of women and girls in Pakistan.
"The women you see on stage is the narrative of Pakistan that you do not see," Chinoy says.
The audience erupts in applause and laughter when young Khalida Brohi says, "I think I was patient with the men who were resisting my education because I knew one day they would be working for me."
The girls were the only ones to get a standing ovation.
Angelina Jolie, closed out the first night of the summit by introducing 15-year-old Pakastani student activist Malala Youstafzai's new initiative.
"In a brutal attempt to silence her voice, it grew louder," Jolie says of the young girl who was shot at point blank range by the Taliban on a school bus in Pakistan last October because of her outspoken support for girls' education.
Malala announced through a video at the summit the first grant for the Malala Fund, which supports the rights to education for girls in Pakistan. The grant will support the education of 40 girls aged 5-12.
"Let us turn the education of 40 girls into 40 million girls," Malala said in the video.
Jolie committed $200,000 more to the Malala Fund.
Jolie added: "When in the hospital her father saw a poll of the most influential people. Malala was number six. President Obama was number seven."
The sold-out conference, hosted by Tina Brown, editor of Newsweek and The Daily Beast, runs two days at the Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater.
Today's schedule includes speeches from Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, Eva Longoria, Susan Rice, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks and many more.
Last year's summit drew 2,500 women from around the globe.
Angelina Jolie Looks Simply Glowing at Charity... by splashnews
USonline
Celebrity Beauty
April 5, 2013 AT 8:40AM
Angelina Jolie
was in New York City the evening of Thursday, April 4 -- but she had
Pakistan and other troubled parts of the globe on her mind. The
37-year-old actress and special envoy to the UNHCR joined the likes of Meryl Streep and Barbara Walters at the 2013 Women in the World gala, presented by Newsweek and the Daily Beast, at Lincoln Center.
Attending the event without fiance Brad Pitt, the mother of six gave a radiant smile heading into the event, and wore a loose, olive Saint Laurent dress and a sheer black sheath; the In the Land of Blood and Honey director was also sporting a slightly light shade of brown. Also part of her ensemble: Her diamond engagement ring from Pitt, 49, which she debuted about a year ago. (Last week, after appearing with a gold band instead of the diamond engagement ring, Jolie shot down speculation that the pair had secretly wed.)
Jolie was on hand for the event to honor Malala Yousafzai, a
15-year-old girl who was shot in Pakistan last October for seeking
equal-opportunity education in her country. Jolie has pledged $200,000
to a new fund in her name.
PHOTOS: Angelina Jolie's parallel life with another Hollywood legend
"There's a lot you can learn from this little girl," Jolie said during a brief appearance onstage. "This evening is the beginning. Vital Voices, Women in the World and I started the Malala Fund. It's not a fund in her name, it's hers and she'll be in charge of it. So we believe this is a modest beginning for a big dream and we hope that you will join us."
"The Taliban shot her at point-bank range in the head, and made her stronger," Jolie said of Yousafzai, who survived the attack. "In a brutal attempt to silence her voice, it grew louder."
PHOTOS: Every single Angelina Jolie Us Weekly cover!
Yousafzai later appeared via video feed at the event, saying "This is the happiest moment of my life . . . If we can educate 40 girls, we can educate 40 million girls."
Attending the event without fiance Brad Pitt, the mother of six gave a radiant smile heading into the event, and wore a loose, olive Saint Laurent dress and a sheer black sheath; the In the Land of Blood and Honey director was also sporting a slightly light shade of brown. Also part of her ensemble: Her diamond engagement ring from Pitt, 49, which she debuted about a year ago. (Last week, after appearing with a gold band instead of the diamond engagement ring, Jolie shot down speculation that the pair had secretly wed.)
Angelina Jolie wore a diamond ring to the Women in the World Summit 2013 on April 4, 2013 in New York City.
Credit: Astrid Stawiarz/WireImage.com
Credit: Astrid Stawiarz/WireImage.com
PHOTOS: Angelina Jolie's parallel life with another Hollywood legend
"There's a lot you can learn from this little girl," Jolie said during a brief appearance onstage. "This evening is the beginning. Vital Voices, Women in the World and I started the Malala Fund. It's not a fund in her name, it's hers and she'll be in charge of it. So we believe this is a modest beginning for a big dream and we hope that you will join us."
"The Taliban shot her at point-bank range in the head, and made her stronger," Jolie said of Yousafzai, who survived the attack. "In a brutal attempt to silence her voice, it grew louder."
PHOTOS: Every single Angelina Jolie Us Weekly cover!
Yousafzai later appeared via video feed at the event, saying "This is the happiest moment of my life . . . If we can educate 40 girls, we can educate 40 million girls."
