IKEA pledges 1.7 mln euros to support local humanitarian projects in Ukraine
MOSCOW. Oct 20 (Interfax) - IKEA South East Europe has pledged 1.7 million euros to support local humanitarian projects in Ukraine, Ukrainian media have reported with reference to the company's press service.
About 35,000 internally displaced persons have received assistance. Said sum includes both financial donations and in-kind aid, it said.
"The reality is changing all the time, and we see the need for exceptional mobility. We have pledged 145,000 goods and allocated additional financial aid to furnish multiple accommodation centers, children's play zones, and modular houses for Ukrainians looking for temporary housing," IKEA quoted Olga Ilchishina, deputy manager of the company's Ukraine market, as saying.
In particular, in collaboration with the Danish Red Cross, IKEA has donated 1.5 million euros to accommodation centers around Ukraine providing shelter to 30,000 internally displaced persons (primarily women and families with children, elderly people, and people with disabilities).
IKEA also allocated 17,000 euros to Kolping temporary accommodation and rehabilitation centers in the Chernovtsy, Vinnitsa, and Trans-Carpathian regions, where IDPs can also receive psychological support, legal consultations, and general social protection.
IKEA supported the RE:UKRAINE Housing initiative by the Balbek Bureau architectural bureau by donating 31,000 euros for furnishing modular houses in the Bucha district in the Kiev region. It also donated 63,000 euros to the Ukrainian Red Cross for food packages distributed among IDPs in Nikolayev and Poltava.
Working in collaboration with the Save the Children initiative, IKEA offered foodstuffs worth in total 172,000 euros to Ukrainians at accommodation centers for women and children in Chernovtsy, Dnepropetrovsk, and Vinnitsa.
On the global level, various organizations associated with IKEA have donated a total of over 30 million euros.
As reported earlier, IKEA has halted the operations of its stores and six manufacturing facilities in Ukraine since February 24.
IKEA operates over 470 stores globally, Germany having the most IKEA stores in the world.