IKEA Foundation helps restore sense of home for Syrian refugees in Iraq
Refugees sleep easier in Kurdistan camp's summer heat with new mattresses and light quilts – thanks to large IKEA donation.
ARBAT REFUGEE CAMP, Iraq, July 30 (UNHCR) - Since arriving from Syria nearly a year ago, 52-year-old Halima Murad and her family have been at the mercy of Iraq's extreme weather in this camp near the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah.
In their tiny tent in the comparatively safe Iraqi Kurdistan region, the six of them have been exposed to winter temperatures dropping to zero Celsius, blistering summer temperatures of 45 degrees, and dust storms to boot. So she was particularly happy to be given a new mattress and quilt recently. "We don't have blankets for summer, only winter blankets and they are too heavy," said Halima.
Halima's family and 3,000 other Syrian refugees in this camp were some of 35,000 who came from Syria last August. Of the almost 3 million Syrians who have become refugees in the past three years, more than 250,000 have sought safety in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq.
Halima's new mattress and quilt were part of a US$2.5 million donation of bedroom products from IKEA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the global furnishings company. The IKEA Foundation, UNHCR's largest private donor, has previously given products to the refugee agency for Syrians in Jordan and Lebanon. This is its first donation to UNHCR in Iraq.
"When conflicts turn peoples' lives upside down, we believe in supporting children and families who have lost everything by donating IKEA products that will give them a sense of security and home," said Jonathan Spampinato, head of strategic planning and communications for the IKEA Foundation.
Refugees in Arbat Camp will get 150,000 mattresses, quilts and bed linens over the next year. The UN refugee agency will distribute 80,000 mattresses to internally displaced Iraqis who were forced out of their homes by recent fighting between armed groups and government forces. Nearly 2,000 mattresses have been delivered to families in Al Hamdaniya, in Ninewa governorate in northern Iraq.
Back in Arbat Camp, Abdu Rachman Khalil, 36, was one of the first in line to receive two IKEA summer mattresses, quilts and pillow covers.
He, his wife Sita and their six children were looking forward to sleeping more comfortably in the scorching summer heat. "We needed these mattresses and blankets," he said, herding his children away from the distribution with a mattress rolled up under each arm. "The blankets are thin and good for the summer and the mattresses are very good quality."
By Catherine Robinson in Arbat Refugee Camp, Iraq
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UNHCR Ethiopia refugee update, October - December 2013
13 Dec 2013 ... UNHCR Representative Moses Okello awards certificate to one of the graduates. UNHCR/D.Corcoran Jointly funded by the IKEA Foundation and the Government of Norway, the year-long YEP programme ...... -
Presentation by the Director a.i. of the Division of External Relations
Mar 2017 ... We are also working with a number of private sector actors on ways innovation and entrepreneurship can benefit refugees and displaced persons. Alongside our well known partnership with IKEA, we are ...... -
UNHCR Global Report 2016 - Operational support and management
Jun 2017 ... ... Education for All Dutch Postcode Lottery 454,691 454,691 Nansen Refugee Award IKEA Foundation 100,000 100,000 Private sector partnership communication IKEA Foundation 20,337 20,337 World Humanitarian ...... -
71st meeting of the Standing Committee - Presentation by the Director of the Division of Programme Support and Management
7 Mar 2018 ... In relation to innovative shelter solutions, the longstanding partnership with Better Shelter and the IKEA Foundation produced an improved model of the Refugee Housing Unit. This lightweight, durable ...... -
Evaluation Office Workplan 2023/24
29 Mar 2023 ... ... Somali Refugees and Host Communities in Ethiopia - end line evaluation CO Ethiopia CO Ethiopia & IKEA Foundation Q2/2022 Q3/2023 Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa (RB WCA) Evaluation of ...... -
Annie Lennox to perform at Nansen Refugee Award ceremony
3 Sep 2012 ... ... with the Norwegian Refugee Council, the Swiss Confederation, the republic and canton of Geneva, the City of Geneva and the Norwegian government. The IKEA Foundation is also a generous contributor.... -
UNHCR Global Report 2011 - Funding UNHCR's programmes
1 Jun 2012 ... ... exceptional pledge of USD 62 million from the IKEA Foundation to be disbursed over three years ... Subtotal 88,274,872 865,432 89,140,304 Private donors IKEA Foundation 23,744,975 0 23,744,975 ...... -
UNHCR Global Report 2012 - Providing for essential needs
1 Jun 2013 ... ... Some highlights of UNHCR’s shelter activities during the year were: The development of a shelter proto- type in partnership with the Refugee Housing Unit of Sweden and the IKEA Foundation. Fifty ...... -
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1 Dec 2013 ... ... In Dollo Ado in Ethiopia, UNHCR’s collaboration with the IKEA Foundation, the regional government and other development partners is ex- pected to improve the livelihoods of refugees and the host ......