Finnish Refugee Council collects funds for Horn of Africa emergency

The Finnish Refugee Council has responded to the Horn of Africa emergency with a generous contribution to the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR.

UNHCR has received 22 000 EUR from the Refugee Council which will provide emergency relief to people displaced by conflict and drought in the Horn of Africa. The Finnish Refugee Council is a non-governmental organisation working to promote refugee rights in Finland and abroad. The contribution to UNHCR is the outcome of a successful campaign raising funds from individuals wishing to make a difference for refugees.

The Executive Director of the Finnish Refugee Council, Kim Remitz, is pleased that the organisation can support UNHCR’s humanitarian efforts.

- Somalia is one of the biggest refugee crises in the world at the moment. It has been widely discussed in Finland and the public is concerned. We wanted to offer a channel for Finns to donate funds to ease the crisis, and especially support the work of UNHCR in the refugee camps. We hope that this campaign can improve the difficult life conditions for refugees in the camps, says Kim Remitz.

UNHCR expresses its deepest gratitude to the Finnish Refugee Council and the donors who supports UNHCR’s work. The generous support from the Refugee Council allows UNHCR to better meet the immense needs among the displaced in Somalia and the neighboring countries of Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti.

UNHCR has received several contributions from the Finnish Refugee Council in the past, and the two organisations have enjoyed a long and close cooperation. The Finnish Refugee Council was founded in 1965 by the well-known social and political figure Helvi Sipilä, who had visited refugee camps in the Middle East. The Refugee Council started as a small organisation but has grown to become a significant specialist in refugee issues globally with projects in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Thailand and Uganda. In recent years, UNHCR has partnered with the Refugee Council in awareness raising activities, photo exhibitions and the celebration of World Refugee Day in Finland.

« back