Pitt, Jolie give $1 mln to kids impacted by war

Voice actor Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrive for the screening of the animated film ''Kung Fu Panda'' by directors Mark Osborne and John Stevenson at the 61st Cannes Film Festival May 15, 2008. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

Voice actor Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrive for the screening of the animated film ''Kung Fu Panda'' by directors Mark Osborne and John Stevenson at the 61st Cannes Film Festival May 15, 2008.

Credit: Reuters/Vincent Kessler

LOS ANGELES | Wed Jun 25, 2008 6:31pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have donated $1 million for educational aid to children impacted by the Iraq war in that country and in the United States, a charitable organization said on Wednesday.

The Jolie-Pitt Foundation has given $500,000 to three groups in the war-torn country which will provide aid for some 5,700 children, said the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict, which is co-chaired by Jolie.

Money will pay for basic necessities, including books and supplies to help send Iraqi children to school. Aid will also go to refugee kids, and to school rehabilitation programs.

The foundation also gave $500,000 to help children in the United States who have a military parent killed in Iraq, or who are separated from a parent stationed in the country.

The donation for U.S. kids will go to the Armed Services YMCA Operation Hero Program, which will provide educational tutors and counseling to 2,500 kids.

Pitt, 44, and Jolie, 33, have donated millions of dollars to charity over the years. Jolie, star of action movie "Wanted," has long been an advocate for refugees and is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Pitt, who starred in critically acclaimed "Babel," has advocated for relief in the Darfur region of Sudan and has backed a program to help build homes for survivors of Hurricane Katrina in the United States.

The pair have four kids of their own, and Jolie is expecting twins.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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