Australian actress Isla Fisher and her comedian husband Sacha Baron Cohen just donated more than one million dollars to help Syrian refugees.
The couple split $US1 million, which is roughly $A1.38 million, between two charities that are helping Syrians trying to survive in their war-torn homeland, and those who ultimately are forced to flee.
Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee received $US500,000 each.
News of the donation was announced by Save the Children over the Christmas long weekend.
“The Syrian conflict is now approaching its fifth year and children are the first victims. There is no safe place left in Syria, with shelling and violence omnipresent. Food and medicines have become scarce and basic necessities unaffordable,” Save the Children CEO Justin Forsyth said announcing the donation.
Save the Children will use their share of the money to vaccinate 250,000 children in northern Syria against the threat of a measles outbreak.
The charity says the disease has become a serious problem.
“Syria’s health system has collapsed and deadly childhood diseases – like measles – which had previously been all but eradicated have now returned, threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of children,” Forsyth said.
The couple, who have three children of their own, made the donation public to highlight suffering in Syria, where it is estimated that 12,000 children have been killed in the conflict – although the real number could be far higher.
“Now is the time for all of us to double down on commitments to civilians caught up in the Syria conflict. These people are the victims of terror,” David Milliband, CEO of the International Rescue Committee, said.
“As hope for the end of conflict recedes, it is all the more important to meet the most basic human needs. 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.”
The money given to the IRC will be spent on education, healthcare, shelter and sanitation for families displaced by the conflict – both within Syria and in neighbouring countries.
There are now over seven million internally displaced people in Syria, and a further four million in bordering countries.
Top Comments
Good on them. I hope this prompts other very rich people to give generously to their causes. A drop in the ocean for them.
I think this is wonderful, I wish that the companies such as Cadbury, Nestlé etc who pay the halal certification (which we as the consumer pay whenever we buy their product), would drop the halal certification, which is a massive rort, and instead donate that money instead to people like the Syrians who really need it.
I make this point because whoever I say howci am against the halal certification people criticise me and makecout I'm a bigot, but in fact I am more than happy to help the people in need whether they be Muslim or not but in the case of these Syrians I would imagine a lot would be Muslim, they are suffering and I personally have already donated some money to MSF, who is working in that area, but I get quite angry that companies like Cadbury instead of doing something good with their money like directly helping the Syrian refugees are contributing money towards a religion who in many cases oppresses these people. Also much of the halal certification is a rort anyway as is making the certifiers, the fat cats quite rich, whilst poor Muslims like the ones in Syria are suffering. The irony of it all is, is that chocolate is automatically halal permissible anyway as it has no meat in it, so it's just some fat cats trying to manipulate things to make money.
I have stopped buying Cadbury and Nestlé because of this, however if tomorrow they agreed to give up the halal certification and instead donated this money directly to Syrians in need then I would happily buy their products again.