IKEA rekindles Brighter Lives for Refugees campaign for second year

GENEVA, February 2 (UNHCR) - Following the success of last year's campaign, the IKEA Foundation on Monday launched a two-month fund-raising drive in stores worldwide to provide renewable energy and education projects in Bangladesh, Chad, Ethiopia, Jordan and Sudan.

The "Brighter Lives for Refugees" campaign will run between February 1 and March 29 in more than 300 IKEA stores in 40 countries. For every LED light bulb purchased in participating stores, the IKEA Foundation will donate one euro to UNHCR.

The campaign will help provide renewable energy solutions like solar-powered street lights, solar-powered lanterns and fuel-efficient cooking stoves, helping to make participating refugee camps in the five countries safer and more comfortable places for refugee children and their families. Last year's campaign raised 7.7 million euros for UNHCR operations.

There are almost 13 million refugees globally - people who have fled their home country and sought shelter in neighbouring countries or further afield. About half are children. Some people have no choice but to live in refugee camps after fleeing their country, where an absence or lack of light after sunset can have a devastating effect on safety and security.

The IKEA Foundation has partnered with UNHCR since 2010, helping to provide shelter, care and education within refugee camps and surrounding communities. The Foundation has to date committed more than 125 million euros in support to the refugee agency.

For more information about the campaign, go to www.unhcr.org/brighterlives