Mia Farrow: A Trip to Darfur

In June, actress Mia Farrow returned from a weeklong trip to Darfur, the conflict-ravaged region in western Sudan, with images of "unthinkable suffering" – and a passion for the people who have survived. “The people I met, the stories I heard – all of it is seared into me,” Farrow, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, tells PEOPLE. “I am not the same person anymore.” Here are her photos and recollections of her journey. By Joanne Fowler

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A NEED FOR PROTECTION

Farrow, in the northern town of Galap with a rebel fighter from the Sudan Liberation Army, wears a gift from a local woman, a necklace with good-luck charms. "Her children were killed and she had just lost everything. She pressed those amulets into my hand and said, ‘This is for your protection. This is for your children.’ I just stopped in my tracks because I could give the women nothing for their protection."