1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,000 Anderson Cooper: So Beyoncé, how do you get involved in World Humanitarian Day? 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:09,000 Beyoncé: I was definitely attracted to raising awareness of this day of recognition. 3 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:15,000 I, you know, found out that 22 people lost their lives helping people. And - 4 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:16,000 Anderson Cooper: In Baghdad, in the explosion. 5 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:17,000 Beyoncé: In Baghdad, yes. 6 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:22,000 And, you know, I thought it was such an incredible thing to turn that into something positive 7 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:27,000 and try to include the world into doing something great for someone else. 8 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:30,000 Anderson Cooper: And in the song that you are dedicating to this, "I was here", what's the message of the song? 9 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:34,000 Beyoncé: I was here, it says "I wanna leave my footprints in the sands of time" 10 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:39,000 and, it basically is all of our dreams, I think, 11 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,000 and that's leaving our mark on the world. 12 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:46,000 I feel like we all want to know that our life meant something, 13 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:48,000 and that we did something for someone else, 14 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:52,000 and that we spread positivity, no matter how big or how small. 15 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:55,000 So the song was perfect for Humanitarian Day. 16 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:57,000 Anderson Cooper: And is that what you want to do, to spread positivity? 17 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:58,000 Beyoncé: Absolutely. 18 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:03,000 I feel like, we all have our purpose, and we all have our strengths, 19 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:06,000 and it's -- I don't know if it's selfish or unselfish, 20 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:11,000 but if it feels so wonderful to do something for someone else, 21 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:16,000 and, I think, for the UN to want to include the whole world was something important, 22 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:18,000 and I feel like that's what I represent. 23 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,000 Anderson Cooper: Valerie, you're trying to reach a billion people on World Humanitarian Day. 24 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:23,000 What are you hoping to accomplish, 25 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:24,000 I mean, what's the idea behind it? 26 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:28,000 Valerie Amos: Well there are millions of people around the world who need help, 27 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:32,000 and part of my job is to get the message out there about this. 28 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:35,000 But I could do media for the rest of my life, 29 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:39,000 and we wouldn't meet -- reach as many people as Beyoncé can. 30 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:40,000 So this partnership is -- 31 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:42,000 Anderson Cooper: Don't sell yourself short now. 32 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:43,000 Valerie Amos: Well, well thank you for that. 33 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:45,000 Anderson Cooper: You work very hard. You travel all the time. 34 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:50,000 Valerie Amos: Thank you, I do, but this is really about saying to everyone out there that 35 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:53,000 this is a day that's both a commemoration 36 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:58,000 because there are a lot of people who lose their lives trying to help people, 37 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:01,000 but it's also a celebration of the things that people do. 38 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:07,000 There's an amazing amount that people do every single day that goes unrecognized. 39 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,000 So this is about the big things and it's also about the small things. 40 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,000 Anderson Cooper: Do you worry, I mean that, you know, people watch the news, 41 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:15,000 and they see the slaughter in Syria, 42 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:16,000 they see the humanitarian crisis there now. 43 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:21,000 They see what's happening in Eastern Congo with millions of people who've died over the years, 44 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:24,000 and a lot of times people feel hopeless, and helpless. 45 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:26,000 I mean, how do you, Valerie, how do you counteract that? 46 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:30,000 Valerie Amos: Well that's the whole message that we're trying to get across today, 47 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:36,000 which is that you can make a small contribution which will make a huge difference. 48 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:40,000 But let's not forget that there are people right here in the United States, 49 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:44,000 there are people in -- across the world who are doing things every single day, 50 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:48,000 helping people who are homeless, for example. 51 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,000 Lots of little things that people do, 52 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,000 and one of the messages out of World Humanitarian Day is that 53 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:55,000 we can make a difference, 54 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,000 we can make a difference through a small act. 55 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:01,000 Anderson Cooper: So on August 19th, you're both hoping that people around the world will -- 56 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:04,000 will do whatever they can, will volunteer in their communities, 57 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:07,000 will donate money, will donate time, whatever it is. 58 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:08,000 Beyoncé: Absolutely. 59 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:10,000 Anderson Cooper: Do you know what you hope to do on that day? 60 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:12,000 Beyoncé: Well I thought of many different things. 61 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:15,000 I know, one thing I'm gonna start working on now, 62 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:17,000 everyday I'm gonna try to do something, 63 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:24,000 and basically give examples of act of kindness that I think people will gravitate towards, 64 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:28,000 feel like they can do even if it's something as small as feeding the homeless 65 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:31,000 or, you know, giving your coat to someone that needs it, 66 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,000 or helping the elderly across the street, or -- 67 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:36,000 Anderson Cooper: It is inspiring, because, I mean, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, 68 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,000 you had a foundation which tried to help people in New Orleans. 69 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:40,000 Beyoncé: The Survivor Foundation. 70 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:44,000 Anderson Cooper: Yeah, and you had food drives in one of your concerts. 71 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:45,000 Beyoncé: Yes I did. 72 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,000 Anderson Cooper: And it's amazing, I think, in New Orleans, to me the example, what happened after Katrina, 73 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:49,000 we've seen in Haiti as well, 74 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:52,000 is the power of individuals stepping up. 75 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:55,000 I mean, so many church groups, and NGOs, 76 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:59,000 and just individuals have gone down to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast to -- 77 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,000 to lend a hand, to build a house, to do whatever they can. 78 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:03,000 It's really inspiring. 79 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:04,000 Beyoncé: Yes. It really is. 80 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:09,000 And we built transitional home -- housing for a lot of the survivors in Katrina, 81 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:13,000 which I think was important because people need to get on their feet, 82 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,000 and it's more than just one day, 83 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,000 it's something that, you know, people need help all the time, 84 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,000 and I feel like one great thing about the video, 85 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:24,000 hopefully people will see it and it will be a reminder that, you know, 86 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:27,000 every single day, the smallest thing helps. 87 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:30,000 Anderson Cooper: Actually, when I was graduating college, I thought about being a relief worker, 88 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:33,000 and I realized I didn't have the stamina to, you know, 89 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:38,000 live in a tent for years at a time, in the kind of situations that a lot of these people -- 90 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:41,000 I mean, you've seen how these people work around the world. 91 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:43,000 I mean, it's extraordinary what they do. 92 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:46,000 Beyoncé: It is, and I have the utmost respect. 93 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,000 And, you know, everyone doesn't have the time, 94 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:52,000 or everyone sometimes feels a little overwhelmed. 95 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:55,000 You have nothing but respect for people that risk their lives. 96 00:04:55,000 --> 00:05:00,000 But, I feel like, if we all realized that if we do something small, 97 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:04,000 and if all of us on one day do something effective, 98 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:06,000 it will be so impactful