Angelina Jolie, long-time supporter of SOS Children’s Villages, this week congratulated the first Jolie Legal Fellow, Nathalie Nozile, an SOS Children’s Villages alumna.
Ms. Nozile, an attorney, pictured above center with Jolie and Dr. Heather Paul, CEO of SOS Children’s Villages – USA, is an alumnus of SOS Children’s Villages program in Santo, Haiti. SOS Children’s Villages is a global organization dedicated to providing family-based services for children without parental care.
Ms. Nozile was selected after graduating from the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law this past spring.
The Jolie Legal Fellowship, created and funded by the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, supports the Government of Haiti’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the Haitian judicial system in the challenging post-earthquake environment. Jolie Legal Fellows are attorneys who will concentrate on the protection of Haiti’s most vulnerable children in the judicial system, by serving as special assistants to key Government of Haiti officials. Ms. Nozile leaves for Haiti later this month to begin her work.
“I am thrilled that Nathalie Nozile will be our first legal fellow in Haiti – where the need to enhance child protection is so great,” said Angelina Jolie. “Nathalie has a heartfelt commitment to improve conditions in her homeland, and brings to her work the unique perspective of growing up in an SOS Village. There, she learned firsthand the importance to a childhood of a stable and nurturing environment. Now, as a promising attorney, she will draw on her personal experience as she returns to help strengthen the Haitian judicial system. Nathalie will be working to help ensure equal access to justice and the protection of children’s rights in Haiti.”
Jolie and her life partner Brad Pitt donated $150,000 to the SOS Children’s Villlages in 2010.
Additional information about SOS and their involvement in Haiti is available on their website, www.sos-usa.org
Photo courtesy Chris Polk/Getty Images
