Actor and Screenwriter Sacha Baron Cohen announces $500,000 donation to Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee for Sudan to address the worst hunger crisis

Toronto, October 25, 2024 – Actor and screenwriter Sacha Baron Cohen has donated US$500,000 to Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) for their work in Sudan which is facing the world’s largest displacement crisis and heading towards the worst famine seen in decades.

Following 18 months of conflict, 11 million people – about one fifth of the population – have been displaced, moving both within Sudan and to neighboring countries. The escalation of hostilities has obstructed the flow of humanitarian aid supplies and caused extensive damage and disruption to essential infrastructure and services, including those necessary for food production, processing and distribution, and water and healthcare facilities. Sudan is facing the worst levels of food insecurity recorded in the country’s history, with families going days without food and more than 755,000 people are living in famine-like conditions.

Sacha Baron Cohen, an Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner, said:

“Right now, there are 25.6 million people experiencing hunger in Sudan, a country which is swiftly moving towards the worst famine seen in decades, yet this crisis is receiving alarmingly little attention. This contribution is a small step toward addressing the immense needs in Sudan. I’m pleased to continue to support the IRC and Save the Children, who are delivering essential nutrition, water, sanitation, and health services to those most in need, both within Sudan and in neighbouring countries where people are seeking refuge. The Sudanese people urgently need our help and must not be forgotten. I call on friends, colleagues and the general public to join me in contributing whatever you can to this life-saving work. Please consider donating to the IRC and Save The Children.”

David Miliband, President and CEO of the IRC said:

“We are deeply grateful to Sacha for this donation and raising awareness about Sudan’s humanitarian crisis. The funds will support the IRC’s lifesaving work in nutrition, water and sanitation, and protection for displaced people. Eighteen months of warfare has devastated homes, infrastructure, and livelihoods, making Sudan the world’s largest displacement and most severe hunger crisis—yet only half the needed aid has been received. As the disaster continues to spill over into neighbouring countries like Chad and South Sudan, the world’s neglect is costing lives. Now, more than ever, influential voices like Sacha’s are crucial to prevent further destruction and loss.”

Janti Soeripto, President and CEO of Save the Children (US), said:

“We’re incredibly appreciative that Sacha continues to give his support to the world’s forgotten crises and their enduring effects on children. The crisis in Sudan has dropped off many people’s radar—yet support for kids and families there is desperately needed. Around 222,000 severely malnourished children may die in the coming months if their needs remain unmet. In the Zamzam Camp in North Darfur, an estimated one child is dying every two hours already. It’s unacceptable. With Sacha’s generous donation Save the Children can reach over 10,000 people in Sudan—helping families with cash assistance, establishing mobile health clinics, providing safe drinking water and creating child-friendly spaces. Support like Sacha’s is needed now, more than ever, and we hope his interest and donation lead to more people taking similar life-changing action.”

Over the past decade, Sacha Baron Cohen, a British comedian and screenwriter, has donated to support children and families in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Somalia. His giving supported the vaccination of 287,000 children in Idlib, Syria, reached 500,000 children and families in Somalia during a severe hunger crisis, and funded the building of a maternity hospital in Hodeidah, Yemen which is still running today. In 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Baron Cohen sent a planeload of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to National Health Service workers and first responders in the UK.

A recipient of the Anti-Defamation League’s International Leadership Award, Baron Cohen is a longtime anti-racist advocate and a co-founder of Stop Hate for Profit, a coalition of civil rights groups that call out social media companies who profit from conspiracy theories, racism, and hateful rhetoric on their platforms.

Notes to Editors:

• According to the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) system; more people in Sudan (755,000) are living in IPC phase 5, more than the rest of the world put together.
• IPC Phase 5 is defined as ‘famine-conditions’ -the worst level of food insecurity, making Sudan the world’s most severe hunger crisis.
• The IPC is now the primary mechanism the international community uses to analyze data and arrive at a conclusion whether Famine is happening or likely happening in a country.

About the IRC in Sudan

The IRC has expanded its programs in Sudan to meet growing humanitarian needs, supporting displaced people with health, nutrition, water, sanitation and economic services. It provides protection and empowerment for women and children, including survivors of gender-based violence, across Blue Nile, Gedaref, White Nile, and Khartoum. New offices have been opened in Port Sudan, and an emergency response is underway in River Nile state for cash assistance, water, and sanitation. The IRC is also extending efforts to Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Uganda to aid Sudanese refugees.

About Save the Children in Sudan

Save the Children has worked in Sudan since 1983 and provides programming for children and families affected by conflict, displacement, extreme poverty and hunger. Many of the children and families we support are among the most vulnerable and hardest to reach. Today, we are one of the largest international NGOs in Sudan and the only one working in all non-government-controlled areas, providing a range of services to protect children’s lives and rights. In 2023, Save the Children supported over 2.4 million people in Sudan with integrated health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, education, child protection, food security, livelihoods and emergency response programming.