ANGELINA AND SHILOH SAVED OUR LIVES

ANGELINA AND SHILOH SAVED OUR LIVES

The children attending the Okanimekwa school in Namibia have never seen an Angelina Jolie movie or read about her and Brad Pitt in magazines. Yet they're certain how they feel about the star. "She's a very special person, and we'll never forget her," 16-year-old student Emiliana Shikongo tells Life & Style. "She must be a holy person," adds another student, Andreas Kristofelius, 17. "I think Angelina Jolie must be a saint."



The reason for their adoration? Angelina changed the lives of the 589 children at the school – along with thousands of other Namibians – after giving birth to daughter Shiloh in the African nation in 2006. When Angie and Brad sold Shiloh's baby pictures, they said that the proceeds, a reported $4 million, would go to help children in Africa and other parts of the world. A fraction of that sum — about $10,000 — went to buy 72 bicycles for two schools in northern Namibia. But that act of charity has transformed the lives of the people there.



“Angelina said the donation was Shiloh’s legacy to Namibia,” says Michelle McLean, a Namibian who was named Miss Universe in 1992 and later founded the Michelle McLean Children Trust. Together, Michelle and Angie completed the bike project in June. Michelle tells Life & Style, “She was excited about the bicycle project. She knows vast distances prevent a large number of kids from attending school every day.”