With exhibitions, collections, appeal letters and prayers in the international refugee week at the end of June, religious societies all over the region brought attention to the millions of refugees in the world.

Already this year, when a regional awareness and fundraising campaign for refugees was piloted, the religious societies involved succeeded in raising around USD 26,000. The UN Refugee Agency sends a warm thank you to all the societies already on board in 2005: In Denmark, the Jewish community, The Reformed church in Fredericia, The Islamic Belief society, Islamic Relief in Sweden , and the Lutheran church in Latvia and Lithuania . And finally, a special thanks goes to Dansk Missionsråd and its supporters' very generous contribution. The funds raised will this year go to the education of Somali children and youth in refugee camps in Kenya .

"The various belief societies have shown a great dedication and an impressive result, and that within such a short timeframe. We are very grateful for that," says Måns Nyberg, Head of External Affairs with the UNHCR Regional Office for the Baltic and Nordic countries.

He is already looking forward to see what a partnership for refugees between the religious societies all over the region and the UN Refugee Agency can develop into with time.

"Our international work for refugees depends entirely upon the support we get from the general public and there are few places where the empathy for fellow human beings and the volunteer spirit is as strong as in religious communities."

The cost of sending one child to school for one year is about $46 in this project. Less than $4 per month is all it takes.

To give a gift to the project: “Together for Girls”:

Pay directly into UNHCR bank account in Sweden :

Bank: Svenska Handelsbanken SWIFT: HANDSESS
Account No: 6134 219 557 411
Include message: World Refugee Day

More details on the education project:
  ”Together for girls” - about this year’s fundraising project

UNHCR is very grateful for any contribution.

UNHCR and education
UNHCR is operating with a standard aiming at 10 years of basic education for all children under its protection. But when funds fail to arrive, life-saving measures are prioritised. Thus especially in Africa, UNHCR does not have the resources to realize this universal standard of education for all children. In Africa, which is hosting 56% of the world’s refugee children, only between 40 and 45 per cent of the children of concern to UNHCR are attending school regularly.

UNHCR and funding
Only two per cent of UNHCR’s budget comes from the UN. The remaining 98 percent UNHCR has to raise itself in the form of voluntary contributions.

For more information, please contact
Anna Leer, +46 8 457 48 88, leer@unhcr.ch