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 12 of 50 pages.
-
2011 Private Donors to UNHCR (as at 31 December 2011)
31 Dec 2011 ... Total for PRIVATE DONORS IN NETHERLANDS 25,968,715 Contributions (US Dollars) PRIVATE DONORS IN NETHERLANDS Ikea Foundation 23,744,975 Dutch Postcode Lottery (NPL) 1,854,396 Contributions to UNHCR ...... -
Bi-annual fact sheet 2022 02 Romania
Feb 2022 ... The refugee population increased by 17 per cent by end 2021 compared to end 2020. Increased access to livelihoods Twenty-three refugees were integrated into the workforce through the IKEA ...... -
Japan Fact Sheet
Feb 2016 ... UNHCR FACTSHEET U NHCR FACTSHEET HIGHL 14,51 refugees a December Popul A total of By country Country Vietnam Myanma Cambodi Others* Total *UNHCR e informatio NGOs ...... -
UNHCR Global Appeal 2016-2017 - Private sector fundraising
1 Dec 2015 ... ... other infrastructure for the displaced. IKEA Foundation UNHCR's partnership with the IKEA Foundation exemplifies the vital contribution that can be made by private donors to the work of the Office. ...... -
Third Academic Roundtable on Climate Change and Displacement in Middle East and North Africa
15 Sep 2021 ... ... by the social enterprise Better Shelter and the IKEA Foundation) were showcased to demonstrate how ... Azraq refugee camp has a solar power plant program, funded by IKEA foundation and the Saudi Fund for ...... -
Global Refugee Forum - Posters (print ready)
15 Oct 2019 ... Eritrean refugee Dawit (left) receives training from team leader Thomas at IKEA, in Switzerland, where he is on a pre-apprenticeship course. © UNHCR/Jim Huylebroek 17–18 DECEMBER 2019 PALAIS DES ...... -
Malian refugees in Burkina Faso restore their lives building on their traditional skills
9 Oct 2015 ... They are also supporting sustainable micro-enterprises that offer opportunities for self-reliance and integration, thanks to the help of the IKEA Foundation. Alouda belongs to a traditional community ...... -
Bi-annual fact sheet 2023 02 Serbia
Feb 2023 ... children and adults. UNHCR, in partnership with IKEA supported furnishing of the asylum centre in ... or no formal education or employment. ■ IKEA “Skills for Employment” programme: each ...... -
Private sector donates over US$200 million to UNHCR's Ukraine emergency response
14 Mar 2022 ... ... crisis, the IKEA Foundation, UNHCR’s decade-long partner, has committed EUR€20 million to support the agency’s response to the humanitarian emergency. Per Heggenes, CEO, IKEA Foundation, ......