British actress Thandie Newton was "humbled" by her recent trip to poverty-stricken Mali - declaring the plight of the people there has made her appreciate her life in the U.K.

The Crash star - who was born in Zambia but grew up in Cornwall, England visited the West African country to front a campaign by Christian charity World Visions and mineral water company Volvic. The project aims to bring clean water to six African nations.

And after more than 1,000 people turned out to welcome her arrival in the village of Nampasso, the 35-year-old admits she was overwhelmed by the hospitality.

She says, "I’m not worthy of this. That was one of the most humbling experiences of my life. It made me want to cry."

Newton was also shocked to discover that none of the showers worked in the hotel she was staying in, but decided against complaining.

She adds, "I ended up using wet wipes. I was going to call reception, then I thought, how can you complain after what we’ve seen today?

"We turn on the tap at home and clean water comes out. We rarely stop to think how lucky that makes us."