Actors and husband-and-wife team Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher have donated $1 million to help war victims in Syria. The donation will be split between paying for vaccinations for children in the northern part of the country, and for assisting displaced Syrian families with education and shelter.
The couple gave the money to two charities: UK-based Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee.
Half of the funds will pay for 250,000 measles vaccinations for children in Northern Syria, and the other half will be put toward "education, health care, shelter and sanitation" for families in and around Syria, the charities said Sunday.
"Food and medicines have become scarce and basic necessities unaffordable," Save the Children CEO Justin Forsythe said in a statement, adding that parts of Syria may be on the brink of a measles outbreak.
The U.N. estimates 7 million have been displaced by Syria's brutal civil war, and there are another 4 million refugees in surrounding countries.
While Syrian refugees who are fleeing Syria have dominated most of the news cycle, it's important to remember that there are people who stayed in Syria who desperately need help as well. The lack of vaccine access is particularly dangerous, and diseases like polio are at risk of a comeback in the region. Kudos to Cohen and Fisher for their donation and reminding the world about this very vulnerable population
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