Angelina Jolie engaged in her international humanitarian efforts.
Angelina Jolie is making good on a promise she made years ago. The 51-year-old Oscar-winning actress has begun her transition out of the United States, shifting her focus back to international humanitarian work.
On July 22, Jolie announced on social media that she has been spending more time in Cambodia. Her primary focus is the Maddox Foundation, a charitable organization she established in honor of her eldest son.
Angelina Jolie looking focused during a public appearance.
Jolie adopted Maddox Chivan Jolie, now 24, from an orphanage in Battambang in 2002. She launched the namesake foundation a year later and received honorary Cambodian citizenship in 2005 for her extensive relief efforts.
Expanding the Maddox Foundation
“I recently returned to Cambodia, where we’ve been building the @maddoxfoundation — a 100% locally led organization — since 2003,” she shared on Instagram on Wednesday. “I’d like to share a little more about our story.”
The foundation was originally launched with a specific, life-saving goal.
“The @maddoxfoundation started with an urgent mission: to clear the land of mines left over from years of conflict, enabling locals to live and farm on it again,” Jolie explained. “Once the land was safe, the work took on new shape.”
Angelina Jolie smiling warmly at an outdoor event.
Today, the organization collaborates heavily with rural communities to maintain safety and build infrastructure. According to the foundation’s official website, the initial task of clearing heavily mined land laid the groundwork for broader environmental and educational initiatives.
Local Leadership and Conservation
Jolie emphasized that the current operations are entirely community-driven.
“Now, our rangers — recruited and trained locally — patrol the Samlaut forest against logging and poaching,” she wrote. “Women support their families through sustainable beekeeping programs. Students from remote villages can stay at the Samlaut dormitory to finish high school.”
The foundation also operates a health center dedicated to mothers and young children. Since its inception, the organization has drastically reduced the threat of landmines, protected the Samlaut Forest, and elevated its local forest rangers to the status of government officials.
Angelina Jolie posing for a portrait in an elegant setting.
Jolie urged her 16 million followers to learn more about the cause. Within 24 hours of her post, the foundation reported a massive influx of support and new partnership inquiries.
Leaving Los Angeles Behind
Jolie’s relocation aligns with a timeline she established during a 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. She stated her intention to leave Los Angeles as soon as her youngest children, twins Knox and Vivienne, turn 18 on July 12, 2026.
“I am here because I have to be here from a divorce, but as soon as they’re 18, I’ll be able to leave,” Jolie confessed. “[After Los Angeles,] I’ll spend a lot of time in Cambodia. I’ll spend time visiting my family members wherever they may be in the world.”
Angelina Jolie attending a formal red carpet event.
Following her split from Brad Pitt, a strict custody arrangement legally required Jolie to maintain her primary residence in Los Angeles.
That dynamic has shifted dramatically in recent months. A majority of the couple’s six children have legally filed to drop their father’s last name. Shiloh was the first to initiate the name change, followed closely by Maddox, Zahara, and Vivienne.
