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IKEA: supporting forcibly displaced talent - Helping refugees find meaningful employment

breaking-barriers.co.uk · 357 words · saved by 1 readers

Hiliary Jenkins, Sustainability Business Partner at IKEA UK & Ireland, discusses Breaking Barriers’ impact on its global refugee employment programme. Breaking Barriers In September 2015, just months after Breaking Barriers’ mission began, the world was confronted with a harrowing image. That of toddler Aylan Kurdi, a Syrian refugee, whose body had been washed ashore on a Turkish beach. Published around the world, the heartbreaking photo brought home the tragic cost of the heightening refugee crisis. By the end of 2015 it was reported that more than 910,000 displaced people had arrived in Europe, with some 3550 lives lost on the way. In the months that followed, IKEA began to formulate a plan for supporting refugees. “We quickly realised that meaningful employment was the way to really help someone integrate into society, unlock their potential, and provide for the whole family,” explains Hiliary Jenkins, Sustainability Business Partner at IKEA UK & Ireland. This is how the global reta

Published: 19th June 2025 Updated: 13th January 2026 In September 2015, just months after Breaking Barriers’ mission began, the world was confronted with a harrowing image. That of toddler Aylan Kurdi, a Syrian refugee, whose body had been washed ashore on a Turkish beach. Published around the world, the heartbreaking photo brought home the tragic cost of the heightening refugee crisis. By the end of 2015 it was reported that more than 910,000 displaced people had arrived in Europe, with some 3550 lives lost on the way. In the months that followed, IKEA began to formulate a plan for…

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