H&M Foundation donates $3.3 million for education for refugee children
H&M Foundation donates $3.3 million for education for refugee children
STOCKHOLM, 24 JANUARY 2017 – A global campaign by non-profit H&M Foundation has generated $3.3 million to support UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in its work to provide education for refugee children.
Launched in November 2016, the campaign aimed to help refugee children get the school supplies they need to go to school. For every H&M gift card sold during the holidays in some 4,000 H&M stores worldwide, H&M Foundation made a donation in support of refugee children. This will benefit refugee children across the world, including in Chad, Ethiopia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kenya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Uganda and Yemen.
Over half of all refugees are children. Only 50 per cent have access to primary school and even less have the chance to continue to secondary school.
Ensuring that they have access to education is central to UNHCR. It is also critical to help refugee children build better futures for themselves and their communities.
Thanks to the campaign, refugee children will receive supplies such as textbooks and stationery. These supplies are important to ensuring that refugee children can go to and stay in school.
“Refugee children are five times more likely to be out of school than other children. This is why providing the supplies they need to go to school is so crucial. With this donation, UNHCR can ensure an education for many children in crisis settings across the world,” said Diana Amini, Global Manager for H&M Foundation.
“We want to thank H&M employees and customers for supporting H&M Foundation’s global campaign with UNHCR. Education is critical to ensuring that refugee children can go on to lead more productive lives. Yet it remains underfunded. Through campaigns like these, the public can make a real difference in the lives of refugee children around the world.” said Lionello Boscardi, UNHCR Head of Partnerships.
Read more about the partnership between H&M Foundation and UNHCR: http://www.unhcr.org/hm-foundation.html
Media contacts:
Alison Cassells
Associate Fundraising Communication Officer, UNHCR
[email protected]
+45 45 33 65 30
Carrie Pau
Fundraising Communications Associate, UNHCR
[email protected]
+852 2388 3278
Malin Björne
PR & Communication Responsible, H&M Foundation
[email protected]
+46 (0) 70 796 39 75
