The actress has lent her name to and joined Save the Children's Board of Celebrities for the Rewrite the Future campaign. The effort is expected to bring in millions of dollars in donations for impoverished and war-stricken children.

The cause has taken on personal significance for Mischa since visiting school children in the poverty-stricken township in Soweto. (See pictures of the visit in the gallery on the right.)

"I visited a primary school in Soweto, where a lot of the children are orphans and there is a high incidence of AIDS," Barton reveals. "I helped prepare and serve lunch to the children; it's just simple maize and for many it's the only meal they get. We chatted and I took part in their class. They are heartbreakingly beautiful children!"

Barton hopes that her work with Save the Children will result in a new irrigation system for Soweto, along with tools to allow the township to grow its own food.

Notes Barton, "I feel so privileged that I could just meet [the children] and hope to make a difference!"