Matt Damon in South Africa

I am always happy to speak about the positive actions of entertainers and celebrities. So often the actions that many of these stars take are hollow and for the cameras. But there are a few that really stand out, and believe in the causes they bring attention to. Matt Damon is among those few, in my opinion.

Today, Damon was photographed as he went to a Musina in South Africa, near the border of Zimbabwe. The reason he was there was to bring attention to the plight of refugees escaping the dire situation in Zimbabwe. 3 million have fled the country since 2000, and Damon listened to some of their stories.

One story included a woman that had fled Zimbabwe. On her journey to South Africa she was raped, while she was pregnant. It was stories like this that I believe lead Damon to state he was

“shocked and saddened" by the plight of the people he had spoken to. He said conditions were "untenable" and called on international and regional leaders to take action.”

When he says this is untenable, he isn’t underestimating the need. There are some 2,000 children without family in the town that Matt Damon visited, not to mention adults. UNICEF is particularly worried about the children. Abuse is far too probable an outcome, so they are working with Save the Children to try to register and provide some help to these kids.

Were it not for the actions of Damon, I guarantee that people in the U.S. would never have heard of this city or the dangers to these children. Instead most would just hear the rumors of Michael Jackson going back on-tour. Obviously you can see which I think is more important.

Matt Damon is also the founder of H20 Africa Foundation. The cause is to raise awareness about clean water initiatives in Africa. As I said before, I enjoy mentioning when entertainers really step up to do something positive with their fame.