IKEA announces ‘A place called Home’

With this initiative, the Swedish home furnishings retailer aims to empower India’s vulnerable communities impacted by Covid-19

Hyderabad: IKEA India (part of Ingka Group) announced the collaborations with partners Collective Good Foundation, Railway Children India, LabourNet & SELCO Foundation and Habitat for Humanity under its social relief project called Emergency Community Support (ECS).

The initiative is a part of IKEA’s Sustainability Strategy, People and Planet Positive approach. It aims to aid in the Covid-19 relief towards vulnerable people who have lost their livelihoods and homes, such as construction workers, daily wage earners, stranded children, slum dwellers and impacted due to Covid-19 pandemic.

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The initiative is also in alignment with UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. With a budget of €500,000 for these projects from the €26 million relief fund set up last year, IKEA aims to provide these vulnerable groups displaced by Covid-19 pandemic with ‘A Place Called Home’. Through this theme, the company has introduced four social welfare programmes — two of which will be in Mumbai, and the other two in Hyderabad and Bengaluru respectively.

IKEA is also supporting Railway Children India to prevent displaced children impacted by the Covid-19 from succumbing to begging and homelessness.

Commenting on the initiative, Nirmala Singh, Sustainability Manager, IKEA India, says, “IKEA is always with the many people. A better home leads to a better everyday life. Housing is a fundamental human right and home is the most important place in the world. Now more than ever, many families are in crisis as the pandemic has worsened issues for families with lower-income, and already homeless populations. Everyone deserves a place called home, and this initiative aims to further IKEA’s Covid-19 relief efforts in local communities by supporting the many people across the country.”

In Hyderabad, IKEA and Habitat for Humanity instituted project Basti to help eradicate extreme poverty, and make human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable for daily wage earners in Basti, Jagathgiri Gutta, Hyderabad.

Under this project, 75 homes impacting over 350 individuals will be repaired over a period of six months. Basic sanitation facilities will be built and provided for the daily wage earners, who otherwise are not afforded this necessity, and are forced to live in unhygienic conditions.

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