Ayaan Moosa and Mikaeel Ishaaq, two best friends in London, are both six years old. Over the summer, their homes were filled with news of Yemen, and the latest developments of the civil war that has been raging there since 2014. While filtering the news of tens of thousands dead, their parents still made sure they understood at least some of the scope of what the people there are going through, with millions displaced into camps, having lost their homes to airstrikes.
“They have nothing, like, the things you need to survive. They have no water, food, oil. And we have all of those things and that’s why we help them,” said Moosa in a phone interview with NBC News.
To help educate their sons about charity, the two families collaborated on a lemonade stand in August. Together, the two little boys sold fresh-squeezed lemonade for £2 a glass to people passing by their east London home, with a big sign announcing that all proceeds would go to Yemen.
Then one day, a letter came in the mail, with a check. “Thank you,” the letter read, “for what you and your friends are doing to help children in Yemen. I’m sorry I’m not able to buy a lemonade from you, but I’d still like to make a donation to your stand.”
The letter was signed by Angelina Jolie. The family has not said how large her donation was, except to call it ‘substantial.’ The boys, who are after all only six, didn’t know who the actress is, but their parents did.
Since 2012, Jolie has been appointed by the U.N. as a Special Envoy to displaced populations, using her platform and often her physical presence to raise awareness of refugee situations around the world, including Yemen.
“To get the recognition of somebody who genuinely cares, that really meant a lot to us,” said Shakil Moosa, Ayaan Moosa’s father.
Source: NBC News
Editorial credit: Denis Makarenko / Shutterstock.com