Angelina Jolie lends her support to new BBC My World: Coronavirus educational content

Angelina Jolie has lent her support to the new BBC My World: Coronavirus content designed to educate young people about the pandemic. 

The Oscar-winning actress, 44, who is an executive producer on the programme, gave a statement on the new content which is set to be released on the BBC My World YouTube channel in the coming weeks.

The new content will include vlogs and experiences from young people in lockdown around the world, tips and coping strategies for home education and young people’s questions put to BBC experts, particularly on health.

The Maleficent star said: ‘Children have not been out of school on this scale since the Second World War. 

‘This is something that throughout their lifetimes, they will remember. It is something that older generations, for all their other reference points, have not experienced. 

‘The way children go through this time – from the tools and information they can access to the ways they can communicate to and help each other – will be unique to their generation. 

‘We want to help kids to have access to trusted content and tools that will be useful to them during the pandemic: including helping them to seek out fact-based and reliable news, question the information they receive, and learn from each other’s experiences.’    

 The new content will also be distributed across the BBC’s global platforms including 42 language services. 

BBC My World is a global show for young audiences produced by the BBC World Service which launched in January 2020. 

It provide facts and information for young people to make up their own minds about international issues and is presented by Radzi Chinyanganya and Nomia Iqbal. 

This follows on from a coronavirus special episode which aired at the weekend.  

BBC World Service Group director Jamie Angus said: ‘This is an unprecedented situation; so many school age children and young people are now out of schools, but the need has never been greater for them to have access to trusted and accessible information about coronavirus, and for educators to use that content in remote learning. 

‘The BBC World Service will bring its ability to report the truly global scale of this challenge, into creating meaningful and relevant content for our young audiences. 

‘We will be reaching out to young people from across the globe, hearing about their experiences, and sharing the information they need to live healthy and productive lives during this difficult time. 

‘Continuing production of this successful programme feels like the right thing to do in the circumstances.’       

The BBC will also be sharing this content with UNESCO’S Global Education Coalition, a new website providing remote educational content to kids in lockdown around the world.  

Angelina recently did her bit to feed underprivileged children whose access to school lunches was cut off by school closures amid the coronavirus pandemic.

She has given $1 million to the charity No Kid Hungry, which says it has so far spread $2 million across 30 states to feed low-income children and their families.

‘As of this week, over a billion children are out of school worldwide because of closures linked to coronavirus,’ said Angelina in a statement for No Kid Hungry.

 ‘Many children depend on the care and nutrition they receive during school hours, including nearly 22 million children in America who rely on food support.’ 

Angelina, who is famous for her philanthropy, added: ‘Kid Hungry is making resolute efforts to reach as many of those children as possible.’  

She has worked extensively with the United Nations and co-wrote a Time essay published Wednesday promoting UNESCO’s new Global Education Coalition, which seeks to facilitate remote education as schools close around the world. 

In 2006 the film star and her ex-husband Brad Pitt started their own charity named after their eldest son Maddox, 18, and focused on his native Cambodia.  

This organization keeps 10 schools up and running in Cambodia, and Angelina separately funds girls’ schools in Afghanistan and Kenya, People reports.

She has jetted around the world in service of various causes and in 2012 got special envoy status from the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees.

Angelina is not the only celebrity to throw her support behind No Kid Hungry as Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams started a fundraiser for them last week.