Angelina Jolie brought international attention to Syrians escaping violence in their country today as she visited a refugee camp in Jordan as the United Nations special envoy.

Jolie had an emotional encounter with some 28,000 refugees at the Za'atri refugee camp located in a desert region near the Syrian border. After talking to people she addressed the media almost in tears. What was most heartbreaking, Jolie said, was when refugees asked "Who is going to help us?"

"It is a horrific situation at a very, very critical time," Jolie told reporters. "We hope and pray that they [the politicians] figure out something soon because people are dying. Hundreds and hundreds of people are dying every day."

"I am grateful to Jordan and other border countries for keeping their borders open, for saving these people's lives. They are dying in Syria," Jolie told the press. "If they were unable to escape with their families many of the people here, many of the people I met today would in fact be dead. It's an extraordinary thing that they are doing."

Jolie also visited Jordan's border with Syria where she met some 200 newly-arriving families who made the dangerous crossing Monday night.

Syria has been hit by violence since an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began 18 months ago. The clashes have killed more than 18,000 people.

"We do encourage the international community to do everything it can to support these people and to support them here until they can go home one day. There is much that needs to be done," Jolie said. 

"It's a very, very difficult situation and of the appeals that came out - which still have not been met - [they] weren't even prepared to take into account the extent of what was going to happen, how many people. It grows. The numbers are growing. The conflict is growing."

Jolie and other UN officials are expected to meet King Abdullah II of Jordan, as well as the country's prime minister and foreign affairs ministers.