The Quantico actress, fresh off of presenting her production Pahuna: The Little Visitors at the Toronto International Film Festival, flew to Jordan to meet with children affected by the civil war in Syria.
UNICEF Ambassador Priyanka Chopra visits Syrian refugee children in Jordan
Mumbai - 11 Sep 2017 12:21 IST
Sonal Pandya
After visiting Zimbabwe and South Africa this year in her role as UNICEF global goodwill ambassador, Priyanka Chopra took from the Toronto International Film Festival straight to Jordan to meet with Syrian refugee children. Chopra has been working with the worldwide organisation since 2008, first in India and now was named the global ambassador in December 2016.
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Chopra wore a simple white UNICEF T-shirt and covered her head with a scarf during the visit to community centre where volunteers and children of refugee children learn and spend time as they don’t attend school. On her visit, Chopra learnt the children’s names, even taught a little boy how to spell his name in English and marvelled about the similarities between Arabic, Urdu and Hindi.
Cultures are so lovely.so different yet so similar. Kalam is arabic for pen and it's kalam in Urdu/Hindi too. https://t.co/mUGD2qbCWV pic.twitter.com/O2283Eo1n3
— PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) September 10, 2017
In a UNICEF video, the actress explained why the cause was so important to her. “I feel like somewhere, the world feels like there’s so much that’s been happening for such a long time, that it’s not going to end. But what changed me and moved me so much was that there are so many children here who have not died, who have not lost hope, who still have dreams, aspirations, some of them want professional careers, some of them want to go back into their country and rebuild,” Chopra said.
Chopra emphasised that the situation was a humanitarian crisis, not just a Syrian crisis alone, and urged people to come forward and donate to helping the children.
She was especially moved by a Syrian family who had five children and shared their story on her Instagram page. She wrote, “When I asked their mother what would be her wish...considering the war hasn't ended, she said 'if we can't go home all I want is for my kids to get an education so they can fend for themselves when they are older and help rebuild Syria. We are blessed, we have enough to survive...others have much less'. They didn't even have furniture in their home. The largesse of heart and compassion she had through her tears moved me to pieces. PLS GO TO www.unicef.org and DONATE whatever you can... let's make this a collective #MissionForChildren #ChildrenUprooted #PCInJordan #ChildrenOfSyria @unicef”
Chopra’s latest production, the Sikkimese film Pahuna: The Little Visitors, also features three young children who are forced to flee their home country and seek shelter in a neighbouring country. Directed by Paakhi A Tyrewala, Pahuna had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September.
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To know more about Priyanka Chopra’s visit to Jordan and her current work with UNICEF, you can get more information, photos and videos on her Instagram page.
