WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000 Anderson Cooper: So Beyoncé, how do you get involved in World Humanitarian Day? 00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:09.000 Beyoncé: I was definitely attracted to raising awareness of this day of recognition. 00:00:09.000 --> 00:00:15.000 I, you know, found out that 22 people lost their lives helping people. And - 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:16.000 Anderson Cooper: In Baghdad, in the explosion. 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:17.000 Beyoncé: In Baghdad, yes. 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 00:00:22.000 --> 00:00:27.000 and try to include the world into doing something great for someone else. 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? 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:34.000 Beyoncé: I was here, it says "I wanna leave my footprints in the sands of time" 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:39.000 and, it basically is all of our dreams, I think, 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:42.000 and that's leaving our mark on the world. 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:46.000 I feel like we all want to know that our life meant something, 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:48.000 and that we did something for someone else, 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:52.000 and that we spread positivity, no matter how big or how small. 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:55.000 So the song was perfect for Humanitarian Day. 00:00:55.000 --> 00:00:57.000 Anderson Cooper: And is that what you want to do, to spread positivity? 00:00:57.000 --> 00:00:58.000 Beyoncé: Absolutely. 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:03.000 I feel like, we all have our purpose, and we all have our strengths, 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:06.000 and it's -- I don't know if it's selfish or unselfish, 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:11.000 but if it feels so wonderful to do something for someone else, 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:16.000 and, I think, for the UN to want to include the whole world was something important, 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:18.000 and I feel like that's what I represent. 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:21.000 Anderson Cooper: Valerie, you're trying to reach a billion people on World Humanitarian Day. 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:23.000 What are you hoping to accomplish, 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:24.000 I mean, what's the idea behind it? 00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:28.000 Valerie Amos: Well there are millions of people around the world who need help, 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:32.000 and part of my job is to get the message out there about this. 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:35.000 But I could do media for the rest of my life, 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:39.000 and we wouldn't meet -- reach as many people as Beyoncé can. 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:40.000 So this partnership is -- 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:42.000 Anderson Cooper: Don't sell yourself short now. 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:43.000 Valerie Amos: Well, well thank you for that. 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:45.000 Anderson Cooper: You work very hard. You travel all the time. 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 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:53.000 this is a day that's both a commemoration 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:58.000 because there are a lot of people who lose their lives trying to help people, 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:01.000 but it's also a celebration of the things that people do. 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:07.000 There's an amazing amount that people do every single day that goes unrecognized. 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:10.000 So this is about the big things and it's also about the small things. 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:12.000 Anderson Cooper: Do you worry, I mean that, you know, people watch the news, 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:15.000 and they see the slaughter in Syria, 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:16.000 they see the humanitarian crisis there now. 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, 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:24.000 and a lot of times people feel hopeless, and helpless. 00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:26.000 I mean, how do you, Valerie, how do you counteract that? 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:30.000 Valerie Amos: Well that's the whole message that we're trying to get across today, 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:36.000 which is that you can make a small contribution which will make a huge difference. 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:40.000 But let's not forget that there are people right here in the United States, 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:44.000 there are people in -- across the world who are doing things every single day, 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:48.000 helping people who are homeless, for example. 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:50.000 Lots of little things that people do, 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:53.000 and one of the messages out of World Humanitarian Day is that 00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:55.000 we can make a difference, 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:57.000 we can make a difference through a small act. 00:02:57.000 --> 00:03:01.000 Anderson Cooper: So on August 19th, you're both hoping that people around the world will -- 00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:04.000 will do whatever they can, will volunteer in their communities, 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:07.000 will donate money, will donate time, whatever it is. 00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:08.000 Beyoncé: Absolutely. 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:10.000 Anderson Cooper: Do you know what you hope to do on that day? 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:12.000 Beyoncé: Well I thought of many different things. 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:15.000 I know, one thing I'm gonna start working on now, 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:17.000 everyday I'm gonna try to do something, 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:24.000 and basically give examples of act of kindness that I think people will gravitate towards, 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:28.000 feel like they can do even if it's something as small as feeding the homeless 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:31.000 or, you know, giving your coat to someone that needs it, 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:34.000 or helping the elderly across the street, or -- 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:36.000 Anderson Cooper: It is inspiring, because, I mean, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:39.000 you had a foundation which tried to help people in New Orleans. 00:03:39.000 --> 00:03:40.000 Beyoncé: The Survivor Foundation. 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:44.000 Anderson Cooper: Yeah, and you had food drives in one of your concerts. 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:45.000 Beyoncé: Yes I did. 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, 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:49.000 we've seen in Haiti as well, 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:52.000 is the power of individuals stepping up. 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:55.000 I mean, so many church groups, and NGOs, 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:59.000 and just individuals have gone down to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast to -- 00:03:59.000 --> 00:04:02.000 to lend a hand, to build a house, to do whatever they can. 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:03.000 It's really inspiring. 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:04.000 Beyoncé: Yes. It really is. 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:09.000 And we built transitional home -- housing for a lot of the survivors in Katrina, 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:13.000 which I think was important because people need to get on their feet, 00:04:13.000 --> 00:04:15.000 and it's more than just one day, 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:18.000 it's something that, you know, people need help all the time, 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:21.000 and I feel like one great thing about the video, 00:04:21.000 --> 00:04:24.000 hopefully people will see it and it will be a reminder that, you know, 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:27.000 every single day, the smallest thing helps. 00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:30.000 Anderson Cooper: Actually, when I was graduating college, I thought about being a relief worker, 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:33.000 and I realized I didn't have the stamina to, you know, 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 -- 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:41.000 I mean, you've seen how these people work around the world. 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:43.000 I mean, it's extraordinary what they do. 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:46.000 Beyoncé: It is, and I have the utmost respect. 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:49.000 And, you know, everyone doesn't have the time, 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:52.000 or everyone sometimes feels a little overwhelmed. 00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:55.000 You have nothing but respect for people that risk their lives. 00:04:55.000 --> 00:05:00.000 But, I feel like, if we all realized that if we do something small, 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:04.000 and if all of us on one day do something effective, 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:06.000 it will be so impactful