The IKEA Foundation and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) have partnered to help refugees, returnees and host communities in Kenya and South Sudan develop a more self-reliant future.

Development Diaries reports that the aim of this partnership is to scale the evidence from the ‘Economic Inclusion’ approach to other places, to enhance displaced people’s economic and social well-being and dignity.

Refugees living in Dadaab Camp in Kenya have few opportunities to build livelihoods or engage with local communities in a region where 66 percent live in acute poverty.

And in Northern Bahr El Ghazal in South Sudan, more than 100,000 forcibly displaced people have returned home and are struggling to rebuild their lives.

It is understood that IKEA Foundation has granted NRC two million U.S. dollars to support the project.

‘No one wants to be dependent on aid. We need to find new ways for displaced people to become self-reliant and have more control of their lives’, External Relations Director of NRC, Sean Nicholson, said in a statement.

‘Our partnership with IKEA Foundation is doing just that, looking for ways to bring back independence and dignity’.

The programme provides a comprehensive approach that includes legal support, financial services and mentoring support, as well as social activities to promote community integration.

NRC, according to the partnership, will work closely with displaced people, communities, and local actors to identify what is currently working and what needs to be improved.

The results will be shared with various stakeholders, which in turn can influence policies and programmes designed to support displacement-affected people.

Photo source: United Nations