After the camp visit, Angelina flew to Ethiopia with Zahara and Shiloh, marking the first time that Zahara has been back to the country of her birth since her adoption in 2005. Both Brad and Angelina have always said they wish to maintain connections to their children’s birth countries, helping them to remain aware of their cultural backgrounds.

While they were in Ethiopia, Angelina was looking for a good location for a TB clinic which will be built in Zahara’s name, much like the clinic named for Maddox.

Angelina, Zahara, and Shiloh were in Ethiopia for two days and during that time Brad Pitt remained in Kenya with Maddox, Pax, Knox, and Vivienne. People.com sources a quote saying, “The family has been having a wonderful time. The children are having so much fun.”

I love that Angelina was able to bring her family with her to Africa. Some of her work locations with the UNHCR are dangerous and she’s not able to bring the kids, so I’m glad this time was different. It’s such a great way to keep the kids immersed in the importance of charity, activism, and empathy for those in need.

Image:

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The donation will support the final stages of the construction of The Duk Lost Boys Clinic which will be the first modern medical facility in Duk County, Sudan. It will also go towards their ongoing operations after it opens in late Spring. The clinic is expected to serve more than 150,000 people.

John Dau, Direct Change’s Sudan Project director had this to say:

“Words can not express my gratitude and gratitude of the people of Duk
County Sudan. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt demonstrate the
American spirit of generosity. Hopefully, their donation will inspire
others to join with us to rebuild southern Sudan.”

As for how Angelina and Brad got involved, the article says:

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, an Executive Producer of Christopher
Quinn’s film God Grew Tired of Us, learned of John’s effort to build the
Duk Lost Boys Clinic at the Hollywood premiere of the film in January. The
film, a National Geographic Production, is distributed by Newmarket Films
and is showing in theaters around the country.

You can find out more about the organization at their website, directchange.org.

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The Washington Post has an article about her visit to the refugee camps. A war criminal was named to be responsible for hundreds of atrocities in the area, and Angie had this to say about it:

“In order to feel safe enough to return home, these people said they would need to know that the men who attacked them had been stripped of their weapons,” [...] “This is a very important day for international justice. The decisions of the ICC could make a big difference in the lives of these women and their children.”

You can also catch a video of her visit, courtesy of MSN by going here and clicking on the video link.

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According to the UNHCR news site, our favorite ambassador of good will was visiting refugee camps in Sudan’s Darfur region and yesterday she completed a two-day visit of camps in Chad.

Her comment on the deteriorating conditions:

“It’s always hard to see decent people, families, living in such difficult conditions,” she said. “What is most upsetting is how long it is taking the international community to answer this crisis,” Jolie added.

Apparently, Angie traveled through a sandstorm and was face to face with the despair that refugees face every day; however, she was met with incredible hope.

If only more people in Hollywood put their money and their names to good use, the world would be a much better place. Thank goodness for celebrities like Angelina Jolie.

photo © UNHCR/N.Behring

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The sexy new mom is still dedicated and wants to get back to her globe-trotting ways. “We (were) talking about her future trips to Africa,” Prendergast told the mag.

Source

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South Africa’s Sunday Times reported that Jolie had sold exclusive rights of the first pictures of the baby to U.S. celebrity magazine People, which would in turn donate $3.5 million to
UNICEF. This could not be independently confirmed.

People magazine also reported that the couple have a plane on standby should they decide to have the baby elsewhere, though doctors usually advise against flying late in pregnancy.

There is also a rather funny account of a reporter using unorthodox techniques (well, is there anything orthodox about the paps?) to get his money shot:

“I’m disguised as a sand dune but I’m getting absolutely nothing,” one foreign photographer said jokingly, although he added quickly that he did not want to be identified for fear of immediate reaction by Namibian officials.

“This has really gotten out of hand. There is a no-fly zone over the hotel, it is an unprecedented display of police power. It is really ominous.”

**Also, keep your eye on the post comments here at PittWatch, we have a reader who lives close by the resort where Brad and Angelina are holed up – he has said he will give us the goods when he finds out anything. He also has some interesting comments about the paparazzi and Namibian laws. Thanks so much for reading and for offering up your knowledge and observations, Mike!

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Police officers descended on the beach resort yesterday to flush out foreign photographers who are not in possession of the necessary work permits.

They went to at least two houses in a complex adjacent to the Burning Shore lodge where the celebrity couple are staying, searching for photographers or photographic equipment.

When asked by The Namibian about the actions of the Police, regional Police Commissioner Andrew Iyambo said those residents interrogated by officers were “identified as people who are harassing others”.

When asked who had made the complaints of harassment, Iyambo said the media had no business complaining and immediately disconnected the call.

It was reported earlier that the Hollywood stars’ privacy had been guaranteed by Iyambo and security would be enforced.

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Apparently Angelina is very concerned about the lifestyle they are forced to lead since she has hooked up with the sexiest man alive – and its possible affect on the children. And then check this out:

Rumours is, she alluded to it during a brief conversation with a civilian the other day who happened to be granted access for service reasons at the resort. The discussion allegedly began when the staff person talked about a popular local park or play spot that her own children were fond of. After asking a few questions about the location etc and laughing about being too big to play with her son, Angie supposedly sighed and said something to the effect of ‘I’ll mention it too my husband but he’s being so cautious lately. It will be better once the baby comes but right now, Madd is getting bored!’

Thanks Lainey’s for the heads up, and thanks bamz9love for the great tip!!

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At the Namibian coast security is reportedly tight and secrecy surrounded the lodge yesterday where the couple, their two adopted children, Maddox and Zahara, and entourage are staying.

According to a published report, two Namibian journalists sitting on the beach near the lodge yesterday morning were approached by Ange’s personal bodyguard.

The stocky, grey-haired muscleman politely requested that the two female reporters leave the scene.

Introducing himself as Micky, he stated emphatically that no photographs were allowed of the couple, as they were on a “family visit”.

“This is a family affair, and Angelina is having a baby, so they are entitled to their privacy,” he told the reporters, according to the Namibian.

“They are the most accommodating people in the world, but we ask you kindly not to take photos.”

Looks like we will have to do with rehashing old pictures for a while. Ok, those are good too!

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Related, is this article from Namibian.com (found via bamz9love, via BradForums.com – I hope I didn’t miss anyone ). I have been trying to pull this article up from Namibian since this morning, but I suspect all of the Brangelina fans have overwhelmed their website, so here is the article in full (read the rest after the jump). Could they be moving to Africa now??

Angelina and Brad slip into Namibia

MEGA stars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrived in Namibia at the crack of dawn yesterday. As far as The Namibian was able to establish last night, the couple have reportedly brought their two children – Maddox and Zahara – with them.

It is unclear how long they will stay in Namibia, or what the family’s plans are while they are here.

At the weekend, wire reports emanating from overseas speculated that Jolie, who is pregnant with Pitt’s child, was coming to have her baby in Namibia.

Alternative reports have suggested that the family is just on a visit.

Both stars value their privacy and are very protective of their children.

The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation radio news yesterday quoted immigration officials confirming that the Jolie-Pitt family had arrived at Walvis Bay at around 06h30.

Sources in Europe earlier told The Namibian that the couple had flown out of Le Bourget airport in Paris in a private jet on Monday night – believed to be headed for Namibia.

Jolie is no stranger to Namibia.

The Oscar-winning actress spent time in the country in 2002 during the filming of the international feature movie on refugees, ‘Beyond Borders’, at Swakopmund.

Namibia is believed to hold particularly fond memories for Jolie.

It was here that she took legal custody of her adopted Cambodian son, Maddox, in March 2002.

At that time he was seven-and-a-half months old.

Last year Jolie adopted a little Ethiopian girl, Zahara, an orphan.

ACTIVE FOR AFRICA It is not known if Pitt has previously visited Namibia.

However, he has visited South Africa and Ethiopia, and shares Jolie’s humanitarian concerns.

The couple are said to have fallen in love with Africa.

Much of the focus of their humanitarian commitment is directed at the continent, as well as Asia.

In 2001, Jolie was asked by the United Nations High Commission to become its Goodwill Ambassador.

She has also been awarded the UN Correspondents Association’s Citizen of the World Award, which was presented to her by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

In addition to Namibia’s Osire refugee camp, Jolie is reported to have visited refugee camps in Tanzania, Congo, Thailand, Ecuador, Sri Lanka, Kosovo and Ingushetia.

Pitt and Jolie also constantly advocate the plight of refugees and those caught up in conflict on the world stage.

SPACE ‘RESPECTED’ In an interview with The Namibian when the actress left Namibia after shooting ‘Beyond Borders’, the producer, Lloyd Phillips, quoted Jolie as saying she had had a great time in the country.

Phillips said Jolie had felt very comfortable in Namibia “as people respected her space completely”.

He said Jolie and her two co-stars, Clive Owen and Noah Emmerich had felt very connected to the country.

Although Jolie was rarely seen in public, many of the crew members and extras who worked with her or interacted with her on the movie set commented on how open and accessible she was.

She was not fussy about the food she ate, she made a point of greeting people on the set and played with the extras’ children between shoots.

Jolie also made a special effort to thank all the people she worked with during the last week of filming.

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