In a post shared on social media on the night of Thursday, July 16, 2026, Angelina Jolie said her visit to the cooperative left a lasting impression, describing how inspired she was by the women's determination to rebuild their lives despite the hardships they endured.
She explained that she visited Imboni Cooperative, located in Gikomero, Kigali, where women farm together on shared land, saying each of them left her with a lesson in courage and hope.
Jolie noted that many of the women are survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, which claimed the lives of more than one million people and left countless women to rebuild their families on their own.
She explained that for many years, the women cultivated rented marshland, producing limited harvests that barely sustained them. Some earned less than one dollar a day, while heavy rains often destroyed their crops.
Jolie said that her close friend Giles Duley, through his Legacy of War Foundation, has been working with the women for the past five years.
She explained that the foundation purchases fertile farmland and transfers ownership to genocide survivors while helping them maximize production through modern, climate-resilient farming techniques.
According to Jolie, the women's achievements demonstrate what is possible when people are given opportunities to improve their own lives.
Over the past five years, the women have progressed from working as day laborers to owning their own farmland.
Their incomes have increased fivefold, and more than 90 children have been able to return to school thanks to the economic progress made through the initiative.
Jolie said she deeply appreciated the time she spent with the women, adding that she witnessed their strength, resilience, and determination to build a better future.
She concluded by saying the visit reminded her that lasting change happens when communities themselves are empowered and actively involved in shaping projects that affect their lives, emphasizing that investing in people is the most effective path to sustainable development.
Angelina Jolie is one of the world's most celebrated actresses. She was born on June 4, 1975, in Los Angeles, California, United States.
She is widely known for starring in films such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Maleficent, Changeling, and Salt, performances that earned her major accolades, including an Academy Award (Oscar) and Golden Globe Awards.
Beyond acting, Jolie is internationally recognized for her humanitarian work and advocacy for human rights. For more than two decades, she served as a Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), visiting countries affected by war, conflict, and displacement.
Throughout her humanitarian career, she has championed the rights of women, children, and survivors of violence, while supporting initiatives that help communities recover and rebuild after war and natural disasters.
