Not content to be (just!) an Oscar-winning working mom, actress Emma Thompson also fills her time by contributing to organizations that are close to her heart.
Earlier this month, she traveled to Liberia with ActionAid, an international anti-poverty organization for which she is an ambassador.
She called Liberian women that country’s “most promising resource” and urged more investment in the young ladies there. The nation currently has an unacceptably high rate of violence against women and girls.
After meeting with Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and visiting a cassava farm and a radio station run entirely by women, Thompson said, “Neglect of girls is widespread in Africa because many families place a lower value on their daughters compared to their sons. Girls’ bodies are seen as a commodity and one of little economic value. This has to stop,” she said.
Thompson is just continuing her long-standing commitment to the region. Her adopted son, Tindy, is a former child soldier from Rwanda.
Photo via PR Photos.