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Ikea Ships Easy-to-Build Refugee Shelters to Syria
Posted: 08 Oct 2013 11:55 AM PDT
Here is a positive news story about Syria.
Video Title: Ikea Ships Easy-to-Build Refugee Shelters to Syria. Source: GeoBeats News. Date Published: October 8, 2013. Description:
Swedish furniture company Ikea is working with a branch of the United
Nations called the UNHCR to provide shelters for people in Syria.
They have designed a flatpack shelter that can be easily shipped to
people in need, and quickly built using the prefabricated materials.
Made of plastic panel walls that connect to a metal frame, the shelters
can house up to five people, and come equipped with solar panels that
create electricity.
50 prototypes have been sent out in Ikea
cardboard boxes to refugees in Syria, and they are reportedly capable of
lasting up to three years after being built.
The Ikea Foundation has invested 4 point 8 million dollars into the shelter project, which is still in development.
Olivier Delarue, the head of innovation for the UNHCR said: "Our
tents... still rely on canvas, ropes, and poles, and they usually only
last... around six months. We realized that Ikea had expertise in
certain areas, such as logistics and flatpacking, that we could learn
from."
Statistics from the UNHCR say that around three and a
half million refugees are living in tents and temporary shelters all
over the world.
Designing a better home for refugee children. Source: IKEAFoundation.
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