Scarlett Johansson: Charity Work & Causes

Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson has been wowing audiences for years with her roles in films such as ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ and ‘Lost in Translation’. Although she oozes glamour, Johansson has much higher priorities than her looks and profile.

She served as an Oxfam Ambassador for eight years, starting in 2007, and created a video journal of her visit to Kenya with the organization. In 2007 she skipped the Oscars in order to tour India and Sri Lanka as part of Oxfam projects. During her 10-day trip she visited an Oxfam-funded school in Uttar Pradesh, got involved in a few healthcare projects and one domestic violence project involving Indian women, and travelled to Sri Lanka to see how the charity was helping in reconstruction projects after the 2004 tsunami.

Johansson also spent time helping Hurricane Katrina victims by dishing out food from USA Harvest to the homeless at the Made Love Cafe in St. Benard Parish in New Orleans.

Scarlett finds charity work very rewarding, and told USA Today: “It was nice to feel part of the community. Certainly your vanity is the last thing on your mind when you’re travelling in a place like this.”

She added: “It’s amazing to come home when you see people living in poverty. On one hand you’re thinking, my celebrity life is so surreal, but it’s my work and it helps me bring awareness to Oxfam.”

Johansson visited Rwanda in September, 2008, to increase awareness of AIDS sufferers in African nations. She spent four days attending AIDS clinics alongside charity workers for (RED): “It was important for me to come here and see the issues we’re up against first hand. I came here with an open mind, wanting to listen, understand and learn; I leave with the overwhelming understanding that the small action of making a (RED) choice in your purchases… has an enormous impact on the lives of people in countries like Rwanda.”

On top of all this, Scarlett is an avid supporter of Soles4Souls, and has donated 2,000 pairs of new shoes in the past. She says, “If you can’t dig deep in your pockets, than dig in your closet! Americans can make a huge difference with Soles4Souls by donating shoes. Souls4Soles gives away a pair of shoes every 13 seconds in over 120 countries, with over 55 percent donated to fellow Americans.”

Miss Johansson is not just an exceptionally pretty face, she’s a talented actress but most of all she’s a role model to everyone.