( CNN ) -- Actress Kristin Davis is an ambassador for Oxfam , an international alliance of 15 organizations striving to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice . The group works directly with communities in 98 countries . As part of her efforts , Davis advocates for vulnerable women around the world . She recently spoke with CNN 's Sonya Hamasaki about the need to help people improve their lives . Below are excerpts from that interview . CNN : What inspired you to get involved with Oxfam ? Kristin Davis : Oxfam is unique in helping people become independent . That 's their goal . One of the reasons I got involved was that after the tsunami , I remember all of the fishermen whose entire lives had gotten washed away in Indonesia . I thought , `` How are they ever going to get their livelihoods back ? '' Oxfam was committed to staying there until those fishermen got their own livelihoods back together so that they could be self-sufficient.. CNN : You are specifically interested in helping women receive job training and education . Why is that important to you ? Davis : A lot of times , these women have been left alone or their husbands have died of AIDS or different things . I was interested in helping women who may live in a world where they were n't trained to do anything and they were n't afforded an education . Oxfam will go into these communities and try to help out . It might be raising chickens , it might be sewing beaded necklaces ; they 're helping the women empower themselves . And , especially for women , that 's a huge , huge life-changing thing to be able to be self-sufficient . The women can then support their children , and usually the women send their children to school and it changes the next generation . CNN : What is your role as an ambassador ? Davis : The way I perceive my role as an ambassador -- which I think is personal for everyone -- is that I travel to places that I 'm interested in , where there 's a story or a particular situation with women usually , and I just talk to people and I 'm a witness to their story . I come back and try to tell their stories . Just going is such an inspiration for me that I would do it ( if ) no one asked me at all . But it 's wonderful for me to be able to talk about it to other people , because I think sometimes we 're not aware of how other people are living . CNN : What is a hero to you ? Davis : I think right now our world is somewhat chaotic . There 's a lot to be upset about and a lot to complain about , and the heroes are the people who are getting up and doing something about it . That 's what I love about the CNN Heroes program : that it 's people all over the world who may just be on their own trying to fix something . And I think that 's great . It 's great to be able to support people who are involved in maybe a small-scale way , trying to make the world better . I think there are so many people trying so hard to change things , and the news just does n't get to cover them all . So it 's nice that CNN Heroes does cover it .
` ` How are they ever going to get their livelihoods back ? star Davis is an ambassador for CNN . The organization helps people in 98 countries get back on their feet . Kristin Davis is especially committed toward women and trying to empower them .