Hollywood actors Sasha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher made a $1 million contribution to help Syrian refugees, said charity officials Sunday.
Cohen, of “Ali G” and “Borat” fame, and his wife Fisher, who starred in “The Wedding Crashers,” each contributed $500,000 to the Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee.
According to the charity, half the donation will be put towards vaccinations to protect more than a quarter million children from a potential measles outbreak in northern Syria. The other $500,000 will fund education, healthcare, shelter and sanitation for Syrian families impacted by the ongoing civil war.
“The couple’s donation will save many thousands of lives and protect some of the most vulnerable children,” Justin Forsyth, CEO of Save the Children, said in a statement.
“Sacha and Isla’s donation is a great expression of humanity, and a challenge to do more for the most vulnerable. I hope it is an example to many others seeking practical ways of making a difference during the Christmas and New Year season,” added former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee in the same statement.
More than four million people have been displaced to nearby countries, said the charity. An estimated 12,000 children have died as a result of the four-year-old conflict.
According to celebritynetworth.com, Cohen and Fisher have a combined net worth of $120 million.
The donation is only a drop in the bucket for what aid groups say they need. To put it in perspective, the United Nations’ Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan was looking for $4.5 billion to help Syrian refugees in 2015. As of September, it reported only reaching 43 percent of its goal.
