Susan Sarandon exclusive interview: Nepal is still worth travelling to

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Susan Sarandon, an Academy Award-winning actress with a career spanning 47 years, is widely recognized not only for her acting career, but also for her social and political activism.

Sarandon has dedicated her time and resources advocating for social and political justice and is an outspoken voice for issues such as world hunger, HIV/AIDS awareness, and LGBTQ rights. She's also served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and Goodwill Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization under the United Nations.

Sarandon recently shifted her focus to helping those affected by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that shook Nepal in April 2015. More than 9,000 people died and the country is still rebuilding from the earthquake's aftereffects.

In an exclusive interview with CGTN, she talked about her recent work in Nepal.

Sarandon was on the ground with the Nepalese people after the devastating earthquake and hopes to encourage tourists from around the world to start visiting the beautiful nation again.

As to what she expected to see and what she saw in the country, Sarandon said Nepal is a long way to go, and it is not easy for everybody. Knowing that "everyone can't just pick up and go and be helpful," she made sure that her trip would actually be of value to the local people.

“You have to make sure if you are going to somewhere (a disaster area), what your job is, and if you can help," she said. Working with friends and organizations on the ground, she helped deliver rice, oil and baby food to the locals.

Part of her mission was to help bring the message back that Nepal is still worth travelling to. Describing the people, she witnessed the "amazing resilience of spirit" in the country.

"Nepal is such an extraordinary country, there's very few countries you can go to that have so much history and are so beautiful, and when the monsoons end, they'll be ready to have people come."