Celebrity couple Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher donated $1 million to two charity organizations to help Syrian children fleeing the ongoing civil war there.
Save The Children announced the donation on Sunday, saying that it will split the donation with the International Rescue Committee (IRC).
The groups will use $500,000 to vaccinate over 250,000 children in Northern Syria to stop a measles outbreak. The remaining $500,000 will go to helping women and children in Syria and the region who are in need of education, shelter, health care and sanitation.
IRC CEO David Miliband and Save the Children CEO Justin Forsyth both said that they hope Fisher and Baron Cohen’s donation helps raise awareness of the dire situation in Syria, where it is estimated that 120,000 children have been killed. Four million refugees live in neighboring countries, while over 7 million are displaced within Syria.
“By allowing us to make their generous donation to Syrian children public, Sacha and Isla are helping highlight the tragedy of the issue today,” Forsyth said. “These are desperate times for Syrian families facing bombs, bullets and torture in Syria. The couple’s donation will save many thousands of lives and protect some of the most vulnerable children.”
Baron Cohen is best known for his role as Borat and will be seen in The Brothers Grimsby in March. Fisher also appears in Grimsby and recently starred in Now You See Me and Arrested Development.