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
Related news and stories
100,000 new Somali refugees arrive in Ethiopia in the past month, UN and partners are calling for urgent funding
Earthquake survivors in Türkiye count the devastating toll
Twelve years on, Syrian refugees face deepening debt and hunger
Twelve years on, Syrian refugees face deepening debt and hunger
Visiting earthquake-ravaged areas of Türkiye and Syria, UNHCR's Grandi urges more support for survivors trying to rebuild
UNHCR teams and partners rush assistance to some 100,000 newly arrived Somali refugees in hard-to-reach area of Ethiopia
Your search for « ikea » matched 446 results. Displaying page 18 of 50 pages.
-
Brief on the 2021 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award: french
29 Sep 2021 ... ... Les gouvernements suisse et norvégien financent la dotation financière. La Fondation IKEA et le HCR financent le projet annuel. Couverture médias Des dossiers concernant le lauréat et les gagnants ...... -
UNHCR chief says it is "absolute nonsense" to blame refugees for terror
17 Nov 2015 ... ... shelter with the support of UNHCR. They saw the offices where asylum seekers are registered and fingerprinted and visited the health center, refugee housing units developed by IKEA and UNHCR tents. ...... -
Brief on the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award - 2022 - Spanish
6 Oct 2022 ... ... El programa Nansen recibe apoyo de los Gobiernos de Suiza y Noruega; de la Fundación IKEA; y de la Ciudad y el Cantón de Ginebra. Commented [MFA1]: The original document said "29 September", but ...... -
Bi-annual fact sheet 2021 02 Finland
Feb 2021 ... ... UNHCR supports refugee labour market inclusion in a cooperation with the Finnish Refugee Council and IKEA Finland. Additionally, in a cooperation with Migration Policy Group and Migration Institute of ...... -
2015 Global Strategy Implementation Report
15 Mar 2016 ... ... Better Shelter SA and with the support of the IKEA Foundation, were deployed to eight field ... Renewable energy projects supported through the IKEA “Brighter Lives for Refugees” campaign will ...... -
2015 Global Strategy Implementation Report
15 Mar 2016 ... ... Better Shelter SA and with the support of the IKEA Foundation, were deployed to eight field ... Renewable energy projects supported through the IKEA “Brighter Lives for Refugees” campaign will ...... -
East and Horn of Africa Update: Somali Displacement Crisis at a Glance, 17 October 2011
17 Oct 2011 ... ... violence (SGBV) and public health concerns. • IKEA Foundation, the charitable arm of the world's largest furniture retailer, has committed US$62 million to help build Kambioos in Dadaab. ...... -
Summary record of the 669th meeting
24 Dec 2013 ... ... Projects included the construction of a transitional housing unit, which had been developed with the IKEA Foundation and was being field-tested in Ethiopia and Iraq, and the Community Technology ...... -
Bi-annual fact sheet 2021 09 Finland
Sep 2021 ... ... UNHCR supports refugee labour market inclusion in a cooperation with the Finnish Refugee Council and IKEA Finland. ■ Additionally, in a cooperation with Migration Policy Group and Migration ......