Abu Dhabi residents are being given the opportunity to light up the lives of refugees with IKEA’s latest initiative.
The new ‘Brighter Lives for Refugees’ campaign offers sustainable lighting to families in United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) camps around the world. Under the campaign, the IKEA Foundation will donate €1 to UNHCR for every LED light bulb sold in stores. The funds raised will be used to provide solar streetlights, indoor solar lanterns and other renewable energy technologies including fuel-efficient cooking stoves in refugee camps as well as supporting education for refugee children.
Nearly 10.5 million displaced people, half of whom are children, seek refuge around the world. Many reside in camps where lack of light poses safety and security issues. The funds will help make camps a safer and more suitable home for refugee families from Ethiopia and Chad to Bangladesh and Jordan.
“Life in a refugee camp can be very hard, particularly for children,” said Per Heggenes, CEO, IKEA Foundation. “The absence of powered light limits everyday activities we take for granted such as sharing a meal or doing your homework. It impacts safety and security and the ability for families to generate an income.
“The ‘Brighter Lives for Refugees’ campaign will help bring lights and renewable energy into the streets and homes of refugee camps, so UNHCR can help build a better everyday life for refugee children and families.”
The IKEA Foundation has partnered with UNHCR since 2010, helping to provide shelter, care and education to refugee families and children under the belief that every child deserves a safe place to call home. The campaign, which is being run across IKEA stores globally, began on 3rd February and will run until 29th March.
In 2013, over two million people registered as refugees, a record number in nearly twenty years. The drastic increase in refugees means non-profit organisations such as UNHCR rely on humanitarian aid and support from private sectors.
