THE DIARY OF ANGELINA JOLIE IN SAURI
Copyright 2005 www.mtv.com

[ September 11th 2005 ]

Extreme poverty means walking long distances barefoot to collect safe drinking water. It's a hospital overflowing with patients dying from diseases that are treatable and preventable. More than 1 billion people face extreme poverty living on less than one dollar a day, and more than 22,000 people die every day from extreme poverty and preventable diseases - needlessly.

The facts are staggering - but there is hope. There is a now feasible plan to end extreme poverty in our lifetime, and Sauri, a cluster of villages in Western Kenya, helps to show the world how we can make that happen.

In this special think MTV episode of Diary, Tomb Raider star and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie journeys to Kenya with the world's leading expert on poverty, Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, the Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and Special Advisor to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the Millennium Development Goals.

"We are at a unique threshold in human history, where the crisis we face in Africa is matched only by our degree of hope that we can and will be a force for positive change," said the 30-year-old actress.

"I'm certain the stories in this special will inspire viewers the same way these experiences have inspired me, and I'm hopeful that increased awareness of the issues in Africa will bring about a new wave of progress and activism among young people everywhere," Jolie said in a statement.

Further information available from MTV