This picture, released by Oxfam shows actress Scarlett Johansson(2ndR) with Indian school girls at an Oxfam-funded rural Dalit school in Ghazipur district in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on 22 February 2007.[AFP]

Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson won praise from British-based international aid agency Oxfam Tuesday for missing the Oscars to tour their projects in India and Sri Lanka.

"By supporting Oxfam, Scarlett is taking a stand alongside millions of people globally who are working to overcome poverty," said the charity's executive director Jeremy Hobbs.

"Her support is crucial in helping to show how the smallest donation to Oxfam can mean the world of difference to a poor community."

The "Lost in Translation" star, 22, is currently on a 10-day visit to the sub-continent and has seen an Oxfam-funded school in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, set up to educate children from the "untouchable" Dalit caste.

She has also seen healthcare projects and one helping Indian women who have endured domestic violence and travelled to Sri Lanka to see how the charity is helping in reconstruction projects after the 2004 tsunami, Oxfam said.