Being in the spotlight gives charitable celebrities the unique ability to send messages, raise money and act as major advocates for important causes around the world. In 2015, these five stars stood out for their global poverty-fighting efforts:

1) Akon

Many charitable celebrities have favorite organizations or causes and Akon’s interest in improving electrical accessibility in Africa hits close to home. Growing up in southern Senegal, Akon experienced a childhood without electricity. While Akon may have made his way to the United States, 600 million Africans still lack consistent access to energy.

In a recent interview with Devex, the American rapper stated that he felt it was time for some innovation in poverty-combating efforts: “There’s always been so many initiatives in Africa, so much money raised in Africa, but there’s never no results and it got to the point where you get tired of it […] I took it more personal than anything and I wanted to be in a position to where if I move forward on something I wanted to actually see it materialize.”

In 2013, he founded Akon Lighting Africa, along with Thione Niang and Samba Bathily, which invests in solar energy at a grassroots level in African communities. Through innovative solutions, the organization has grown and reached more countries in 2015, celebrating the inauguration of the Solektra Solar Academy, which promises bright things to come.

2) Angelina Jolie

No list of famous global poverty warriors would be complete without Angelina Jolie. After years of working on global refugee issues with UNHCR, she was appointed in 2012 to the role of Special Envoy for Refugee Issues and has since extended her good work.

2015 was a big year for Jolie, who not only continued to donate her time and money to a wide variety of global charities but also brought light to many of the struggling Syrian refugees, according to the Times.

She also spent time revisiting her son Maddox’s birthplace in Cambodia and visited the two poverty-fighting organizations she helped found there: the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation and the Maddox Chivan Children’s Center.

3) Matt Damon

Actor Matt Damon has been working on improving access to clean water for many years. In 2006, he co-founded the H20 Africa Foundation, which later merged with WaterPartners and became Water.org, developing a more global focus.

In 2015 Damon and Water.org’s co-founder Gary White updated the public on the organization’s progress, stating in an interview for USA Today that it “surpassed its goal of reaching 2 million people with safe water and/or sanitation.”

In September 2015, Damon announced that he, along with friend Ben Affleck, will be producing a film set against the backdrop of the global water crisis entitled “Thirst.” The movie is currently in development for HBO Films.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpUWtMYqikc

4) Serena Williams

Last year, Williams expanded her already impressive portfolio of charity work by launching the 1 in 11 campaign, which focuses on helping the one in 11 children in the world who are kept out of school to get a quality education and achieve their full potentials.

Her foundation, the Serena Williams Foundation, gives large sums of money each year to a myriad of organizations, including UNICEF, Build African Schools and the Equal Justice Initiative.

A superstar on and off the tennis courts, Williams makes charity work a priority by forming partnerships with nonprofits and utilizing her global platform for good.

5) Emma Watson

Since graduating from her role as Hermione in the Harry Potter franchise, Emma Watson has been a huge contributor to humanitarian issues around the globe.

In 2014, she was appointed by the United Nations to assume the role of Global Ambassador for Women. She has since been a huge advocate for girls’ education as a means of alleviating poverty and promoting equal rights. She has used this platform to bring attention to the HeforShe campaign, which advocates for global gender equality.

2015 saw major fundraising efforts by Ms. Watson, who auctioned off her shoes to benefit the Small Steps Project, an organization providing emergency aid to communities living in municipal garbage dumps around the world.

– Jennifer Diamond

Sources: Akon Lighting Africa 1, Akon Lighting Africa 2, Akon Lighting Africa 3, Devex, UNHCR, The Times, Journeys 4 Good, Global Health Committee, People, Water, USA Today, Variety, Serena Williams, CNBC, The Leaky Cauldron
Photo: Music.Mic, SUN, LiveScience, Mission, Global Citizen