Everyone needs a place to call home!

In 2017 IKEA in Zurich Switzerland made a lovely promotion and gave their customers the chance to shine on their catalog cover. Back then of course we couldn’t know that IKEA would stop publishing its iconic catalog after 70 years in 2020.

So this cover that we made, is even more special to us now, considering the fact that IKEA is one of the few international global brands that support refugees worldwide.

The IKEA Foundation aims to improve opportunities for children and youth in some of the world’s poorest communities by focusing on four fundamental areas of a child’s life: a place to call home; a healthy start in life; a quality education; and a sustainable family income.

The IKEA Foundation is also helping these communities fight and cope with climate change. By working with strong strategic partners like UNHCR and Better Shelter, the IKEA Foundation can use innovative approaches to achieve large-scale results for children.

There are currently about 65 million forcibly displaced people in the world, and about half of them are children. That’s about the population of Canada. Imagine a country the size of Canada filled with children without a safe place to call home, living in a camp or temporarily somewhere.

Moving into a shelter means this might be your home for a while, and being able to close a door behind you – and lock it – means so much. It’s something that a lot of us take for granted – those private moments and private spaces you have for yourself. Being able to be alone or with your family inside a controlled space is important, especially for people who have experienced such trauma. They need to feel safe, be able to close that door, and just relax for a bit.

Since 2015, UNHCR has ordered about 15,000 Better Shelters, which have been delivered to seven countries. But two of those countries – Greece and Iraq – particularly illustrate the ways in which Syrians have responded to the crisis and how these shelters are housing refugees from just a few days up to many years, even decades.

How does the IKEA Foundation’s support refugees, particularly refugee children?

Refugee families continue to be part of many of our programs, as we see refugees as part of the many people. Our new strategy is about families living in poverty and families who are particularly vulnerable to a changing climate. Refugees are particularly vulnerable to both poverty and climate change, so we will continue to pioneer innovative programs that help refugee families integrate into their local communities. 

Source:  Themes| IKEA Foundation