Actress Angelina Jolie used her star power Thursday to draw attention to a new law assisting the world's orphans and to push for funding.
The law, the Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act, was signed last week by President Bush. It directs the government to evaluate the effectiveness of U.S. assistance aimed at the more than 143 million orphans living in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Caribbean. It also directs Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to appoint a special adviser to work on the crisis.
But the law still needs to be backed up by $340 million in funding, said Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif.