Angelina Jolie visits refugees in Ecuador

Angelina Jolie visits refugees in Ecuador during her first trip as Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

Jolie spent time in rural areas where she met with the Provincencia community of 24 Afro-Colombian refugee families.These refugees fled Colombia almost 20 years ago.

While the UNHCR has helped build a primary school for the isolated community, Jolie said there are many other needs for them and other refugees.I come here and I see how some people are treated or I see, hear of some of the restrictions and my heart breaks and I wish I could express to all the people of Ecuador how much it means to the people who are here, and please to be tolerant and understanding, that these are people who suffered so much violence.

Nobody wants to become a refugee, nobody wants to be away from their home, nobody wants to be living on borrowed land and having to beg for a visa every year and not be able to know what their life is going to be, what their childrens life, if they are going to be able to access any jobs, any medical, their life is so unstable, Jolie said.

Ecuador hosts more than 55,000 refugees and 21,000 asylum-seekers. The country receives thousands of applications for protection each year from those fleeing Colombias ongoing violence.Many of these refugees live in the remote and poor northern areas of the country close to the Colombian border.Jolie has previously visited the region as UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.