5 ways you can wrap refugees in kindness this winter
As the colder months creep in, here’s how you can support those forced to flee.
© UNHCR/Hallouli Mohamed Ameur
This holiday season, we’re highlighting 5 ways to support refugees. From donating to charity to buying Christmas gifts for loved ones, your support can make a real difference.
As the colder months creep in, here’s how you can show displaced people some warmth and support them with your business.
This winter, we’ve worked with authors, artists and designers to create bespoke wrapping paper that is inspired by refugees’ stories. The designs have all been made with displaced Syrian and Afghan families in mind and are available to print, or as downloads for your computer or mobile.
If you love the designs, you can donate to donating to UK for UNHCR to enable us to wrap more families in kindness this winter by providing shelter, blankets and other emergency relief items to those exposed to the bitterly cold winter in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
UK for UNHCR is the UN Refugee Agency’s national charity partner in the UK. By donating to UK for UNHCR you will directly help displaced people around the world. UNHCR safeguards the rights and well-being of people who have been forced to flee, working to ensure that everybody has the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another country.
You can download our festive wallpaper here, or read more about UNHCR’s lifesaving work on our website.
Wrapped in Kindness wrapping paper designed by Alex Francis
2. Buy a loved one a refugee-made gift from MADE51
When refugees flee, they carry with them traditions, skills, and craftsmanship. MADE51 offers refugee artisans a way to use these assets to earn an income, rebuild their livelihoods and establish independence.
Operating in 14 countries, MADE51 utilises the skills and talents of refugee artisans to produce a variety of hand-made products, including scarves, decorations and homeware.
Working with social enterprises, MADE51 helps refugees tackle many of the barriers they may face when selling their products, providing technology and advice.
Through buying refugee-made products from MADE51, you can help artisans like Zainab send her children to school. This is just one of the many ways to support refugees and people forced to flee.
MADE51’s Zahara Scarf crafted by Congolese, Somali, South Sudanese and Ethiopian refugees living in Kenya
3. Get into the holiday spirit with some traditional Middle Eastern jewellery from Turquoise Mountain
When it comes to traditional artisanal Asian and Middle Eastern craft, Turquoise Mountain can provide the perfect gift this Christmas. Luxury earrings, necklaces and bangles are only some of the items available this winter.
Founded by HRH The Prince of Wales, Turquoise Mountain has restored over 150 historic buildings, trained over 15,000 artisans, and treated over 165,000 patients at their Kabul clinic.
Operating in four countries in Asia and the Middle East, Turquoise Mountain has created sustainable urban regeneration that hosts the revival of artisan industries, protecting heritage and communities at risk around the world. They provide jobs, education, and a renewed sense of pride.
4. Give the gift of delicious baked goods from Breadwinners
Whether you need a one-off loaf or if you want to gift a special someone a weekly bread delivery subscription, Breadwinners has you covered.
Founded in 2016, Breadwinners strives to improve wellbeing for refugees and create a community where refugees can thrive in the UK. They provide work experience for refugees and young people seeking asylum, through both their London market stalls and their online bread delivery.
Through their program, they provide employability training, social networks and mentoring for their programme members, resulting in 90% of programme attendees progressing into further paid work after graduating.
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5. Learn to cook authentic dishes at award winning cookery classes by refugee and migrant chefs with Migrateful
Migrateful runs online and in-person cookery classes led by refugees, asylum seekers and migrants struggling to integrate and access employment. The cookery classes provide ideal conditions not just for learning English and building confidence, but also for promoting contact and cultural exchange with the wider community.
Migrateful’s chefs come from over 25 different countries, each bringing unique skills, knowledge and recipes. Learn how to cook Swahili cuisines with Kashi from Tanzania, or Yogi’s tasty, spicy Sri Lankan curries. You can also buy gift vouchers for your friends and family to create memories that will last a lifetime, and make a difference to the lives of the Migrateful chefs.
Although we’ve only highlighted five, there are a wide range of ways to support refugees and people forced to flee. If you want to make a real difference, consider supporting refugee artisans, chefs and causes this winter.
