Campaign supports camps in Asia, Africa and Middle East with Sustainable Lighting and Improved Access to Renewable Energy and Primary Education
CONSHOHOCKEN, PA, 2014-5-7 — /EPR Retail News/ — The IKEA Foundation announces the ‘Brighter Lives for Refugees’ campaign, which ran from February 3 – March 29, 2014 raised $10.6 million* (Є7.7 million) globally, and the US alone raised over $570,000 in its first campaign year. For every IKEA LEDARE (LED light bulb) purchased during the campaign period, Є1*(approx. $1.38) will be donated to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) by the IKEA Foundation.
The $10.6 million raised will enable UNHCR to bring sustainable lighting and energy to over 350,000 children and families living in refugee camps in Ethiopia, Chad, Bangladesh and Jordan by providing solar street lights, indoor solar lanterns and other renewable energy technologies such as fuel efficient cooking stoves. The campaign will also fund improved primary education.
Today, there are nearly 10.5 million refugees globally, around half of which are children. Some refugees have no choice but to live in refugee camps, where the absence or lack of light after sunset can have a devastating effect on safety and security. Simple activities such as visiting the toilet, collecting water, or returning to the shelter from elsewhere can become difficult and dangerous – particularly for women and girls. The improvements funded by the campaign will help make each refugee camp a safer and more suitable home for refugee children and their families. For example, just one solar street light can benefit up to 300 refugees, making it safer to walk around at after dark and one solar lantern can help a family of five share a meal or help the children complete their homework after dark.
“The lack of access to lighting and energy has a serious impact on the safety, security and education of millions of refugees worldwide, especially women and children. We thank IKEA customers and employees for making such a meaningful contribution to bringing light and energy to the most vulnerable people on Earth,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres.
The IKEA Foundation has partnered with UNHCR since 2010, helping to provide shelter, care and education to families and children within refugee camps and surrounding communities.
*as of April 26,2014, one euro = $1.38
Contact: Mona Astra Liss, Corporate PR Director ~ Mona.Liss@IKEA.com ~ 610.834.0180, ext. 5852
About IKEA Group
The IKEA vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. Our business idea supports this vision by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. There are currently 305 IKEA Group stores in 26 countries. There are 38 IKEA stores in the US. In FY 13, the IKEA Group had 135,000 co-workers, 684 million visitors to the stores and 1.3 billion visitors to IKEA.com. IKEA incorporates sustainability into day-to-day business and supports initiatives that benefit children and the environment. For more information, please visit www.IKEA.com, facebook.com/IKEAUSA, @IKEAUSANews, @DesignByIKEA, http://pinterest.com/IKEAUSA/, www.youtube.com/IKEAUSA, www.theshare-space.com, www.theshare-space.com/en/Blog
About IKEA Foundation
The IKEA Foundation aims to improve opportunities for children and youth in the world’s poorest communities by funding holistic, long-term programmes that can create substantial, lasting change. The Foundation works with strong strategic partners applying innovative approaches to achieve large-scale results in four fundamental areas of a child’s life: a place to call home; a healthy start in life; a quality education; and sustainable family income. Currently-funded programmes benefit an estimated 100 million children by 2015. Learn more at www.ikeafoundation.org and www.facebook.com/IKEAfoundation
About UNHCR
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, also known as the UN refugee agency, was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. UNHCR safeguards the rights and well-being of refugees. In more than six decades, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. It also has a mandate to help people who have become forcibly displaced inside their own countries, and stateless people. UNHCR is on the front lines of the world’s major humanitarian crises, including Syria, Mali, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and countless other emergencies.