Remember The Girl That Angelina Jolie Adopted 17 Years Ago? Here’s Her Life Story

Remember The Girl That Angelina Jolie Adopted 17 Years Ago? Here’s Her Life Story

This girl could have died like millions of other African children, but fate gave her a chance. Seventeen years ago, this Ethiopian baby was adopted by Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie, thus Zahara got from an African orphanage to a luxurious California mansion. But do not think that since then everything has been perfect. What trials were in her life and what is with her now? Keep watching to find out. This is the WOW channel. Before we continue, make sure to subscribe to our channel and hit the bell icon for notifications. Let us begin.

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world today. There are more than four million orphans, many of them live on the street and do not have access to proper food, water, and education. Among these abandoned children seventeen years ago was the six-month-old girl Zahara. She lived in an orphanage and was emaciated from hunger. If no one helped her, most likely she would die, and if she survived, then a difficult fate awaited her. At the best, she would have to collect sugarcane, but one incident changed her life completely.

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie decided to adopt this baby in 2005. At that time, the actress was dating Brad Pitt and she did not yet have biological children, but she already had an adopted three-year-old son, Maddox, originally from Cambodia. The actress who was actively involved in a charitable mission and traveled to poor countries of the world to help children, seeing a six-month-old girl, she was immediately fascinated by her. Everybody thought that the girl was an orphan. It was reported that her mother died a few days after giving birth.

According to some sources, the woman died from bleeding; according to others, from AIDS. The girl’s father was unknown. Zahara had only a grandmother, Almaz Belehu, who lived with her three daughters in the sunbaked town of Awasa. The family spent their whole life in an old one-room shack with no telephone or electricity, leaky roof, crumbling walls, and a burner in front of the house for cooking. There were no more amenities. Grandmother raised Zahara for the first four months of her life, but then she realized that she could not feed her because she only had nine dollars a month.

She gave the girl to an orphanage so that at least she was fed there. When the grandmother found out that the girl would be adopted by a Hollywood actress, she was glad and did not try to return the child. The forty-five-year-old woman could neither read nor write, but all that she asked was to send her a photograph of her prosperous granddaughter. One day, all I ask is that one day Miss Angelina could send me a picture of my granddaughter so I can remember her and those beautiful big brown eyes. They are just like my daughter’s eyes, she said. How terrible that in some African countries people are forced to give their own children to other hands just because they cannot support them. Life is cruel, but this little girl was lucky. If she had stayed in her own home, she most likely would never have learned to read and to write. She would live in a shack and work for one dollar a day, but her fate was incredible.

Immediately after their adoption, Angelina Jolie along with Brad Pitt returned to the United States. Since then, Zahara has been living in real luxury. However, her real happiness in her life was not money, but family. The girl had new parents. Brad Pitt became her official adoptive father, and she received the double surname Jolie-Pitt. Her new mother and father really loved her. However, the girl’s life was not as perfect as it might seem from the first days. She was surrounded by the attention of the press. The paparazzi were everywhere, waiting for Jolie with her adopted daughter. But the worst thing is that the reporters fabricated a story that the family is allegedly trying to return the girl back to Ethiopia. They took advantage of the family’s poverty and brutally manipulated them.

Soon, reporters revealed another fact from the life of Zahara’s family. It turned out that her biological mother was alive. Mentewab Dawit gave an interview to reporters where she said that she became pregnant against her will. One day, a man attacked her and she could not resist. She did not even know who the father of her child was. However, she decided to keep everything a secret because in Africa this is a taboo. The woman to whom this happened is considered disgraced. Everyone will blame her, and no one will punish the criminal. Mentewab gave birth to a girl in the family home and then realized that she could not feed her and gave her up to her grandmother.

I have never disputed the adoption of my baby by Angelina Jolie. I think my daughter is a very fortunate human being to be adopted by a world-famous lady. I wish them both all the success they deserve, she said in 2007. Zahara grew up in a large and happy family. Soon, Jolie adopted another child and gave birth to three biological ones. Zahara has five brothers and sisters. But in 2017, when the girl was twelve years old, her biological mother appeared again and suddenly asked to be allowed to see her child. Please just let me talk to my daughter, she told MailOnline.

However, as we know, Zahara does not communicate with her biological mother because the real mother is the one who raised and not the one who gave birth. Nevertheless, she visited her homeland in Ethiopia several times. A special visit took place in 2019 when Zahara met with Ethiopia’s first female president. They discussed the culture and history of the country. Jolie is sure that adopted children should know their roots, however, she didn’t allow Zahara to see her biological mother because she thought it would be bad for her.

Zahara is seventeen today. Among all the children of the actress, she is the most unremarkable. The girl has never been at the center of scandals. She is perhaps the calmest person in this family, but at the same time, her mother can be proud of her. Zahara created her own collection of jewelry, voiced a character in the movie Kung Fu Panda 3, and also helped her mother in social work. She is currently studying at the prestigious Spelman College in Atlanta. Jolie is very happy for her. My daughter is from Ethiopia, one of my children, and I have learned so much from her. She is my family, but she is an extraordinary African woman and her connection to her country, her continent, is very much her own, she said of course.

Some people continue to criticize Jolie for adopting a girl who is not an orphan, but in fact was taken from the family. But just look at how incredible the life of this African girl has developed. What do you think? Should Zahara communicate with her biological mother or not? Thanks for watching. Do not forget to share your thoughts with me, to click like, and to subscribe. See you next time.