BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom — Priyanka Chopra Jonas, born in Jamshedpur, India, is an actress, producer and winner of the Miss World pageant in 2000. However, Chopra Jonas has also had a longstanding commitment as a philanthropist. Throughout her career in film, she has maintained a strong focus on using her platform to support altruistic causes, often with UNICEF, for which she has been a Goodwill Ambassador since 2016. Chopra Jonas has embarked on various international visits to disadvantaged communities with UNICEF as well as acting as a spokesperson for female equity and empowerment campaigns.
Poland
Following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, countless people fled the country as refugees, leaving behind all personal belongings and often their wealth, trying to escape the destruction and violence of the conflict.
In August 2022, as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Chopra Jonas visited Ukrainian refugees at the Blue Dot Refugee Centre in Warsaw, Poland. She showed particular compassion toward the women and children that she met, commenting that “The women I met deeply touched and inspired me…They are putting their own trauma aside, to nurture and protect children.” In Poland, UNICEF provided accommodation, relief and educational programs for families who had fled Ukraine.
Rashed Mustafa, the UNICEF Country Coordinator in Poland expressed his thanks to Chopra Jonas for “shining a light on this vital work” and indicated a hope that her public exposure and support may encourage further volunteers to join the cause.
Kenya
In October 2022, Priyanka Chopra Jonas traveled to Kenya with UNICEF to visit children who suffering from a period of prolonged drought, which had led to high levels of acute hunger and malnutrition, particularly for vulnerable children. Severe food insecurity also led to displacement with people searching for food, water and grazing land for animals.
While in Kenya, Chopra Jonas documented her experience on social media and encouraged her followers on Instagram to donate to support UNICEF’s efforts helping to save lives and build a more sustainable future for the community.
India
Priyanka Chopra Jonas visited the region of Uttar Pradesh as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in November 2022 while on a trip to her home country of India. She met with adolescent girls in the area who were reaping the benefits of UNICEF-supported, government-implemented programs that she said “nurture and empower girls.”
Other UNICEF programs that Chopra Jonas endorsed include the Women Power Line phone line supporting female victims of violence and the Anganwadi Centre, helping to educate mothers on infant nutrition.
The visit allowed for Chopra Jonas to draw public attention to UNICEF’s charitable actions in India, as well as highlighting more generally the importance of charitable support particularly for women and children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Events
In addition to her overseas visits, Priyanka Chopra Jonas has been involved with other ventures as a philanthropist. She has been a representative at events that work to support global poverty reduction and improved welfare globally. In July 2020, Chopra Jonas spoke at the virtual summit for Girl Up, an organization that works across 152 countries to increase representation and equity for women. Chopra Jonas encouraged listeners to continue supporting global female empowerment and to speak out to give a voice to women from disadvantaged backgrounds, pushing for change.
September 2022 saw Priyanka Chopra Jonas host the Global Citizens festival in New York City, attended by more than 60,000 people. The festival was part of a campaign that generated $2.4 billion toward Global Citizen’s key objective: to end global poverty. Chopra Jonas commended the work of the organization, stating, “Tremendous progress has been made toward ending extreme poverty. But so much work remains.”
COVID-19
In 2021, Priyanka Chopra Jonas joined various other celebrities in endorsing an open letter published by UNICEF asking G7 countries to donate at least 20% of their COVID-19 vaccine supply to poorer countries. The COVAX initiative, already supporting vaccine provision in poorer countries, was said to be in need of around 190 million more doses. Following the 2021 summit, G7 countries did agree to share at least 870 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine globally to support equitable access in poorer countries.
Additionally, Chopra Jonas, alongside her husband Nick Jonas, spearheaded a fundraiser through her social media in partnership with Give India to support COVID-19 relief in India. The fundraiser successfully amassed more than 14,000 donors globally who raised more than $3 million for COVID-19 medical equipment such as 500 oxygen concentrators.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas as a philanthropist has undoubtedly made an effort to remain committed to her charitable works throughout her varied and highly successful career in the entertainment industry. She has used her public platform to raise awareness for altruistic causes by acting as a representative of UNICEF internationally, fundraising and supporting organizations that aim to improve the quality of life of those less fortunate around the world.
– Sophie Sadera
Photo: Flickr