After major natural disasters and conflicts, we sometimes donate selected IKEA products to support humanitarian relief efforts. Later, we can contribute financially to projects addressing the longer-term reconstruction and rehabilitation work after disasters such as earthquakes, flooding and cyclones.
We do this through our partners Save the Children, UNICEF and UNHCR based on their needs assessments.
Starting in 2012, we have also started providing UNICEF with educational toys and stationery from IKEA for their early childhood development (ECD) kits, sent out in response to disasters. Depending on the need, over two years these kits could reach 1.2 million children, giving them a child-friendly learning environment to help them cope with life in a camp.
2012 emergency responses:
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50,000 mattresses to UNHCR for Syrian refugees living in camps in Lebanon and Jordan.
2011 emergency responses:
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Supporting people fleeing from Libya with 150,000 products sent to UNHCR refugee camps in Tunisia.
2010 emergency responses:
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100,000 IKEA products - such as beds, mattresses, pillows, sheets and pillow cases - to UNHCR temporary shelters in Kyrgyzstan to give people a better night’s sleep.
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Over 600,000 IKEA products - e.g. buckets, blankets and SUNNAN solar lamps - sent for distribution by UNICEF and Save the Children after flooding in Pakistan.
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Close to 60,000 IKEA products sent for distribution by UNICEF right after the Haiti earthquake.
Emergency responses before 2010:
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200,000 soft toys to Myanmar after Cyclone Nargis in May 2008.
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100,000 IKEA products to China (Gansu) after the earthquake in May 2008.
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10,000 families provided with child-friendly spaces and food after flooding in Bihar, India in 2008.
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344,000 quilts to Pakistan after the earthquake in October 2005.
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Financial support to Save the Children who helped 200,000 families with relief and rebuilding schools and roads after Cyclone Sidr hit Bangladesh in 2007.