Before being adopted by Angelina Jolie, both babies were abandoned by their biological mother and did not know who their father was.

Children born out of wedlock

Zahara was born in a poor village in the African country of Ethiopia in January 2005. Young mother Mentewab Dawit Lebiso gave birth to Zahara when she was only 19 years old and that little girl was not what Mentewab expected because she was pregnant from a rape. Mentewab was raped by an unknown man in the evening while she was on her way home from a construction site.

Mentewab Dawit Lebiso – biological mother of Zahara Jolie Pitt.

When the child was born, the poor mother named the child Yemsrach (meaning “good news”) with the hope that her daughter’s life would be brighter than her mother’s. However, that child was very stunted and sick while Mentewab was too poor and exhausted from giving birth. With the thought of not being able to raise his daughter, Mentewab decided to leave. She said in an interview with Reuters in 2007: “When she was born, she was a malnourished child, she couldn’t even cry. I didn’t want to see my child die day by day, so I escape…”.

Mentewab left his child with his mother and disappeared. After several months of not being able to find her daughter, her mother brought her stunted grandchild to the Wide Horizons For Children orphanage in Addis Ababa province, Ethiopia. In a later interview, Mentewab corrected that she did not abandon her, but intentionally gave her daughter up for adoption to have a better future.

Pax Thien (birth name is Pham Quang Sang) was born on November 29, 2003 in Ho Chi Minh City. Immediately after being born at the hospital, Pax was rejected by his mother – an unmarried drug addict. Pax’s father is said to be a married man and does not even know the existence of this illegitimate child.

Pax Thien while in Tam Binh center.

Pax’s grandparents took the boy to the Tam Binh Orphanage Protection Center in Ho Chi Minh City. At that time, Pax was severely malnourished, weighing only 2.1 kg. Caregivers at Tam Binh camp said that when he was first brought here, Pax was very weak, had severe scabies and eczema all over his body and cried all day. After being treated and cared for by the staff, the boy gradually got better. Pax is increasingly bright and cute, but is a withdrawn and extremely quiet child.

Fateful meeting with Hollywood star

When Zahara was 6 months old, she was noticed by Angelina Jolie when the actress visited the Wide Horizons For Children orphanage in Ethiopia. Angelina wanted to protect and take care of this very small and weak child. She quickly went through the procedures to adopt Zahara and bring her back to America.

Jolie in the early days of welcoming Zahara home.

At that time, Angelina was just dating Brad Pitt and was a single mother of her adopted son Maddox from Cambodia. A year later, when Angelina and Brad completely announced their relationship, “Mr. Smith” filed to become the father of both Maddox and Zahara. The two children began to have the surname Jolie Pitt.

During the days when Zahara came to America, her mother always hugged her and carried her on her chest every time she went out. The adopted daughter grew up in Jolie’s arms, becoming a strong and agile girl. Zahara lives in an environment filled with love from her adoptive parents and is cared for with the best conditions in Jolie Pitt’s million-dollar mansion in Los Angeles.

Pax Thien was nearly 3 years old when he first met Jolie. In November 2006, Angelina Jolie went to the Tam Binh Shelter to do charity work and wanted to adopt a child. That day, while the other children were hanging around Jolie, Pax was taciturn and stood alone in a corner of the room. But because of that difference, Jolie paid attention to the boy. In March 2007, the female star returned to Vietnam to adopt Pax Thien.

Pax Thien when he was first adopted by Angelina.

The Vietnamese boy came to the house of the Hollywood star couple when they had Maddox, Zahara and biological daughter Shiloh – all of whom were still very young. However, because Pax is very shy and afraid of strangers, Angelina and Brad Pitt paid a lot of attention to him. The couple always carries Pax every time they go out and helps him adapt to the new environment. Like with Zahara, the love and care of his adoptive parents, especially his mother Jolie, transformed Pax from a timid and scared child into a healthy, active and very confident boy.

As Zahara and Pax Thien grew up every day, their two biological mothers still silently followed their children’s lives through information in the press. Those two women were both tormented because they abandoned their young children due to ironic circumstances, but they also thanked God that they were raised by a wonderful mother like Angelina Jolie. Pax Thien’s mother – Ms. Pham Thu Dung shared in an interview at the end of last year: “My life has had times of decline and Pax Thien was born to me but I could not give him a beautiful life. I am very grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Pitt and Jolie for raising Pax Thien and giving him a future that I could not have.” Zahara’s mother also confided in a recent interview: “Angelina is a much better mother than me. She has raised Zahara since she was a baby.”

Ms. Pham Thu Dung – Pax Thien’s biological mother.

Both mothers have no intention of reclaiming their children because they know no one can bring more happiness to their biological children than Angelina. And even though Angelina and Brad are divorced, Zahara and Pax Thien’s mother believes that the actress will not let this affect her children’s lives much.