Angelina Jolie visits Jordan camp for Syrian refugees

The United Nations refugee agency’s special envoy, actress Angelina Jolie, is touring a refugee camp in Jordan for Syrians who fled the civil war in their country.

The Hollywood star arrived on Tuesday morning in the Zaatari camp, which hosts about 27,000 Syrians displaced by the 18-month conflict. She met with Syrian refugee women separately and toured the sprawling tent city.

In a speech during her visit, the actress thanked Jordan for accommodating the Syrian refugees.

“Little children who were asked what they saw described body parts separated and burnt people being pulled apart like chicken. A little 9-year-old girl said that,” Jolie told reporters after a two-day visit to Jordan’s Zaatari camp.

“It’s been a very heavy experience because often at times you come to these camps ... and rarely do [...] you meet them as they cross the border and get to know people the moment they become a refugee,” she said, stopping to compose herself.

“They will say: ‘As the months go on there will be no more of us, our homes are gone are families are gone.’”

Jolie was accompanied by U.N. refugee chief Antonio Guterres and Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh.

Guterres said the “camp needs massive international funding” and that its “conditions are still not acceptable.”

Jordan has sheltered more than 185,000 Syrian refugees – the largest number in the region.

The UNHCR in April promoted Jolie from serving as its goodwill ambassador to special envoy due to her work for the agency.