George Clooney is like the slightly lower-key Brad Pitt. He doesn’t have the passel of kids or a longtime steady, but he’s hot, does a lot of good, and is rocking an unfortunate mustache. So there are some similarities. George has been fiercely dedicated to his ‘Not on Our Watch’ charity, along with good friends Brad, Don Cheadle, and Matt Dillon. The organization’s mission, according to their website, “is to focus global attention and resources towards putting an end to mass atrocities around the world,” – specifically Africa.

George was honored with the “Golden Heart” award at the “A Heart for Children” charity event in Berlin last night. He was interviewed by German newspaper Bild prior to the event, and talked about some of his experiences in Africa – and also said he shouldn’t get the award; it should be given directly to aid workers.

BILD: How often have you visited such places?

George Clooney: Three times so far. Darfur in Sudan and then we went over the border into Chad. Last year we travelled to Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We wanted to go there again four weeks ago but the UNO stopped our trip at the last minute – the fighting there was too intense.

BILD: How do you feel when you leave the misery behind and fly back to Los Angeles?

George Clooney: The first thought is ‘Thank God I’m leaving’. The last time I felt that way was in Goma. We visited a hospital, and a woman who had been abused and set on fire was lying there – and someone had cut her lips off…

“When I get on the plane afterwards I thanked God that I don’t have to live there. The guilty feelings come after you have landed, that you have only briefly dipped your toe into the water – that you witnessed all this suffering with the constant knowledge that you can leave whenever you want.

BILD: What was your worst experience in Darfur?

George Clooney: The systematic violence towards women. Or also the fact that a village won’t ‘only’ be destroyed, no – the wells will also be poisoned, so that life there is impossible. It is not about land, it is about race hate.

BILD: You are supposed to win the ‘Golden Heart’ award at the ‘Ein Herz fuer Kinder’ gala, but say you would rather give it to aid workers such as the ‘AMEL Centre’…

George Clooney: Yes, they are unbelievably courageous people. They look after the torture victims in Sudan.

BILD: Still – why didn’t you want the award yourself?

George Clooney: You know, people are just too nice to me. If I had something to do with the end of the Sudan conflict then OK. But it’s not over, we haven’t been successful yet. Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Brad Pitt and I – sometimes we accept prizes in order to maintain a platform for our causes. But when I was honoured by the Noble Peace Prize Laureates last year, I found it underserved. That is why I want to hand over the ‘Golden Heart’ to people who risk their lives everyday.

[From Bild]

Kudos to George. I really admire him doing something so good with his time and money. And it doesn’t sound like it’s something fun or easy. I cannot imagine how heartbreaking it must be to see people in such a state. Just the thought of that poor woman without her lips… it’s indescribable. It’s nice that he’s getting recognition for what he’s done, but it sounds like he’s realistic about it when he says he and the other guys accept the accolades because it brings attention to the cause. And if it helps increase awareness of what’s going on in Africa, it’s definitely worth it.

Here’s George at “Ein Herz fuer Kinder” awards in Berlin on Saturday. Images thanks to WENN.