Projects we fund
The IKEA Foundation funds a number of projects for children and their families who have been forced to flee their homes, because of famine, war or persecution.
Long-term solutions
Since 2009, the IKEA Foundation has funded UNHCR’s self-reliance initiatives for refugees in East Sudan and Bangladesh. The programmes work with refugees who have been living in camps for many years to make the camps more liveable and sustainable.
The programmes are revolutionizing the way UNHCR helps refugee families, moving them towards a life of self-reliance. By creating schools that allow refugee and local children to integrate and encouraging economic opportunities in and near the camps, refugees will become less vulnerable and less dependent on aid – eventually leading a life of independence and dignity.
Horn of Africa
In 2011, the IKEA Foundation gave UNHCR its largest private donation ever. The grant funds an innovative 3-year partnership that will not only provide shelter and care for families fleeing famine and conflict in the Horn of Africa, but also allow UNHCR to develop an innovation lab so they can continuously search for innovations and improvements.
By helping UNHCR provide shelter, care, education and training within refugee camps, the IKEA Foundation is helping create opportunities for refugees to build a better life for themselves and their families, and eventually break the cycle of poverty that has been forced upon them.
Knowledge sharing
The IKEA Foundation is constantly looking to see how resources can make the greatest positive impact on the lives of millions of children living in poverty in developing countries. This has led to a unique donation: IKEA’s logistics knowledge.
The ‘knowledge donation’ from the IKEA Foundation brings together logistics experts from IKEA and UNHCR to share knowledge on specialist areas including:
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Quality
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Product design
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Packaging
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Warehouse network design
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Procurement
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Transportation
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IT
By sharing their expertise and knowledge, IKEA co-workers have been able to take the skills that are the core of the IKEA way of working – low prices, simple and efficient packaging, stackable products and much more – and see them used to help many millions more people around the world.
The IKEA Foundation supports UNHCR because we believe that no matter what the circumstances, every child deserves a safe place to call home.