Founded in the UK in 1919. As a pioneer in children's rights, Save the Children is an international NGO currently engaged in child support activities in approximately 120 countries around the world, aiming to realize a world in which all children's rights to live, grow, be protected, and participate are realized.
Save the Children international website:
https://www.savethechildren.org/
How UNIQLO is Providing Global Support for Refugees, in Partnership with UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) and Save the Children
Nov 08, 2024
NEWS
To help address this crisis, UNIQLO began supporting UNHCR in 2006, and established a formal global partnership in 2011. In this article, we will report on some of the recent activities undertaken as part of this partnership in Malaysia, the EU, and the United States.
Malaysia: Working with UNHCR to donate clothing directly to refugees
In conjunction with World Refugee Day on June 20, UNIQLO in Malaysia held a clothing distribution event at the UNHCR office in Kuala Lumpur.
At the event, volunteers from UNIQLO’s parent company, Fast Retailing, assisted in helping around 2,500 refugees select clothing items that had been donated by customers across Malaysia, contributing to the refugees’ well-being and dignity. Also joining the event to help as volunteers were representatives from the UNIQLO Singapore office, partners from NTT Malaysia and PKT Logistics, and students from INTI College and Sunway University.
Elsewhere in Malaysia, UNIQLO has also collaborated with UNHCR to donate clothing to refugee communities and educational centers, as well as establishing clothing corners at the Alliance of Chin Refugees community centre in Kuala Lumpur, and at Cahaya Surya Bakti, which is a refugee school providing community-based support and assistance to the refugee population in the state of Johor, Malaysia.
By reaching out to different segments of the community, UNIQLO aims to meaningfully contribute to the well-being and comfort of people living in challenging circumstances and help make everyday life better for everyone.
Yante Ismail, UNHCR Malaysia, Head of Communications
“We are deeply appreciative of all that UNIQLO does for refugees. Over the years, UNIQLO has remained steadfast in its commitment to refugees through various humanitarian efforts. This includes skills training and self-reliance programmes, and clothes distribution activities. Clothing is not just a protective layer for the body; it also restores a sense of dignity for people who have lost everything. At a time when so many places in the world have not been so welcoming to refugees, Malaysians are saying, ‘I care, and I stand with refugees.’”
Evelyn Tan, Sustainability Director of UNIQLO Malaysia
On the right: Evelyn Tan, Sustainability Director, UNIQLO Malaysia
“We are proud to deepen our commitment to supporting refugees in collaboration with UNHCR. The RE.UNIQLO program enables us to give a second life to our clothing, as well as foster positive transformations within the communities we operate in.”
What is RE.UNIQLO?
RE.UNIQLO is a program focused on reducing textile waste and maximizing clothing reuse, while supporting communities in need around the world. You can read more about the program on the RE.UNIQLO feature page: https://www.uniqlo.com/my/en/spl/sustainability/reuniqlo-studio
A helping hand for Ukrainian refugees with UNHCR in Europe
Since February 2022, more than 6 million people in Ukraine have been forced to flee their homes, becoming one of the largest human displacement crises in the world today. In total, some 3.6 million people have been internally displaced, are stranded in affected areas, or are unable to flee due to heightened security risks.
To provide insights into the situation of Ukrainian refugees in Poland and Ukraine, UNHCR invited a delegation of UNIQLO representatives to the country office in Poland and the Ukrainian border town of Przemyśl back in July, 2022.
The goal of the mission was to understand the implications of forced displacement and the work UNHCR is doing to support refugees; why large-scale, reliable private-sector partnerships are essential sources of funding; and where further support was needed. As part of their visit, the UNIQLO delegation visited a transit accommodation center and refugee shelter, which are both amongst the first access points and options for places to stay after entering Poland.
Using the findings of this initial survey, in May 2024, UNIQLO parent company Fast Retailing undertook a mission in Moldova to support refugees who have been affected by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
Despite being one of Europe’s smallest and poorest nations, Moldova has so far welcomed over 1 million Ukrainian refugees. The country faces numerous challenges including an aging population, a high proportion of individuals with disabilities, limited resources, and many families coping with severe medical issues. Despite these challenges, Moldova continues to host over 100,000 refugees from Ukraine.
Collaborating with UNHCR in Moldova, Fast Retailing has donated clothing to refugees, which was distributed through local partners. In addition, UNIQLO in Europe has also contributed through the humanitarian organizations Goods for Good and Hope4, focusing on assisting vulnerable people and refugees, especially women and children from Ukraine.
During the mission to Moldova, Fast Retailing volunteers engaged in various activities. Day one was dedicated to clothing donation and sorting at a warehouse, ensuring that aid reached those in need efficiently. On the second day, teams visited families and refugee centers, providing direct support and aid packages. The final day focused on orphanages and local schools, emphasizing the importance of education and care for vulnerable children and their parents.
Fast Retailing’s initiative underscores the urgent need for support in Moldova, aiming to alleviate some of the burdens faced by its residents, particularly the refugee population.
USA: Comfort and safety through clothing with Save the Children and UNHCR
In 2024, UNIQLO USA has donated over US$50,000 worth of UNIQLO products to local organizations to help support families and children in need. The donation to Save the Children US included brand-new UNIQLO socks, underwear, shirts, bottoms, and AIRism products; helping to keep families cool and comfortable during the summer. A separate donation to UNHCR included reusable cotton bags to help displaced people in their journeys to safety and security.
Support activities at the southern border of the US
Save the Children has provided humanitarian assistance to children and families seeking asylum at the southern US border since 2014. Save the Children has prioritized support for families traveling with children, with a special focus on the youngest children, pregnant women, new mothers, and children with disabilities. In 2023, they supported more than 1,000,000 people, including more than 280,000, children through the provision of immediate humanitarian needs, such as food, water, clothing, and safe shelter.
About Save the Children
About UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, leads international action to protect people forced to flee because of conflict and persecution. They deliver life-saving assistance like shelter, water and other basic necessities; help safeguard fundamental human rights; and develop solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call home where they can build a better future.
UNHCR international website: https://www.unhcr.org/
TOP