Scarlett Johansson, who was featured on the January 2009 issue of Harper’s Bazaar magazine earlier this year, is once again featured on the cover of HB for their January 2010 issue. In her coverstory interview, ScarJo talks about the charity work she did in Africa this year and reveals the apprehension she felt when she first started giving aid. Here is Scarlett‘s Harper’s Bazaar coverphoto and some excerpts from her interview:

Scarlett Johansson was “apprehensive” about doing charity work in Africa. The 25-year-old actress was nervous when she recently travelled to Rwanda to support several women’s charities – which help improve the lives of females in the poverty-hit region – because she had been warned she might be disturbed by what she saw. She said: “I had a bit of apprehension walking into the first hospital. But I soon realised you’re standing before people. They might be very ill but they’re just people like everyone else. Suddenly you’re not aware of how you’re feeling, how you’re going to look. If you let your guard down and stop being aware of yourself, you’re able to really connect with people.” During her work with charity Red, the blonde beauty was amazed by how positive the women she visited were and how strong their bond was with each other. She told Harper’s Bazaar magazine : “I’ve always found women have power in numbers. We draw strength from the support of other women.” The curvaceous actress has since posed in sexy animal-print outfits for a photo shoot in Harper’s Bazaar magazine to raise awareness of the cause.

I love this idea of coupling a magazine coverstory with spreading awareness of ScarJo‘s charity work … it’s a great way to get the message out to more people, without them even realizing it. After the jump, check out a few photos from Scarlett‘s Harpers’s Bazaar photospread and read a few more excerpts from her interview …

More On the strength of women:
“I’ve always found that women have power in numbers. We draw strength from the support of other women. In some cultures, girls can be seen as a burden to a family because of the need to pay out a dowry when they marry, and they are vulnerable to all kinds of abuse. When I visited shelters for female victims of violence in India, I found that a lot of the women had been raped, even at home. That’s still very taboo. Even in the United States, it’s hard to talk about being sexually abused by your husband or your boyfriend. So being able to find solace in support groups makes a huge difference.”

On her newfound appreciation of the simple things:
“You do gain a certain perspective when you see how people get by with so little and how they’re just happy to have simple things like a well with clean water nearby. I felt lucky just to live somewhere that has running water. Suddenly a toilet seems such a luxury. It’s miraculous! You really are thankful for the small things.”

Not only does Scarlett look beautiful on the outside but it’s clear that she is amazingly beautiful on the inside, as well. When you take into consideration all her hard, on-going work for the people of Africa it’s kinda hard to hate her for being married to Ryan Reynolds ;) I keed, I keed … in all honesty, this Harper’s piece is a real tour de force … not only is it stylish but it conveys a very important message. Well done, Scarlett … keep up the great work!

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