In August 2007, in a small room in Damascus shared by 13 members of an extended family, a woman told their story — as Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency Angelina Jolie listened intently.

The family, aged between eight months and 67 years, had fled Baghdad after the father narrowly escaped a kidnapping attempt. Soon out of money, dependent on the little cash brought in by their 17-year-old son who irons clothes in a laundry, they couldn’t even afford diapers for their babies. Getting signed up at the UN Refugee Agency’s registration centre, where some 2,500 Iraqis are registered every week, has given them access to our subsidized medical care and food assistance.

Left for dead

Later, in Damascus’s crowded Seida Zeinab area, where Syrians and Iraqis of all ethnicities and religions live harmoniously side by side, Ms Jolie slipped off her shoes and sat on the floor with a young Iraqi man who had been tortured, set on fire and left for dead in Iraq. He has been helped by the UN Refugee Agency since he came to Damascus.

The man was thrilled to see our Community Service Officer, Mai Barzai, a regular visitor to refugees in the area. But he didn’t recognise his more famous visitor, guessing only that she might be a fashion model! Such everyday, human moments seemed to underscore a far more sober fact: that for four million people uprooted by the ongoing conflict in Iraq – around half of whom have fled to neighboring states, and half are displaced inside Iraq – life is an ongoing emergency.

Stranded

After seeing the plight of families in Damascus, Jolie crossed into Iraq to visit 1,200 refugees trapped in an emergency camp at the border, unable to flee further. The makeshift Al Waleed camp has no running water or electricity, and no respite from the blistering heat – but with your support people are surviving. After walking among the tattered tents and talking with some of the stranded refugees, Jolie went to see the site where we are building a school for the children.

Grateful for your help

Stressing that this was a non-political visit, Jolie said she had come to Syria and Iraq to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis and the need for support for the UN Refugee Agency and its partners. Since then, the UN Refugee Agency has assisted hundreds of thousands more people in the region who are struggling to survive and recover some hope for the future. Thank you for your support. We – and they – continue to need your help.