UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency, is counting on you to raise awareness about their latest campaign with the help of Twitter.
#KnitForRefugees is a five-month long campaign to shed light on the harsh winter that Syrian and Iraqi internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees in the MENA region have to endure. Launched today in the UAE, the campaign will be rolled out across multiple countries and regions.
Currently, 14 million Syrians and Iraqis are displaced in the region, making the need for funding urgent now more than ever. For many, the upcoming winter will be the ninth one they will be facing in exile.
With Twitter’s assistance, UNHCR aims to create awareness and share a strong call to action to encourage people to help make a difference through donations. In addition, a partnership with London-based Kniterate means that the innovative campaign will showcase the power of tweets; it will knit a tapestry that will include all the participating Twitter accounts. UNHCR’s official global account on Twitter; @Refugees posted a video today asking people to retweet the tweet in order to knit the first part of the scarf live.
Speaking at the launch of the event, Stephanie Terroir, Head of Brand Strategy, MENA at Twitter said: “The statistics demonstrate that staying warm during winter is one of the biggest challenges facing refugees.” Ayat El Dewary, UNHCR Officer in Charge in the UAE added, “This partnership with Twitter is really significant for UNHCR. Funds raised through this campaign will support our efforts to provide the life-saving interventions to most vulnerable refugees this winter.”
#KnitForRefugees will conclude on 20th November, 2019, and its results will be shared during the Global Summit of Refugees in Geneva.