As the effects of COVID-19 are felt around the world, UNHCR launched an appeal to raise $255m in donations to continue its relief, prevention, and response efforts for refugees and internally displaced persons globally

27 April 2020, Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)  has launched its new Ramadan campaign called #everygiftcounts, aiming to raise awareness of the plight of refugees globally and to help them continue important work in stopping the spread of COVID-19 in refugee camps. 

The 60 second video which will be broadcast on OSN across the coming weeks reminds people of the struggle facing refugees and those displaced from their homes. The video also highlights the challenges we are facing globally when coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and how different Ramadan will be for many this year. 

This is the second year in a row in which OSN have played a pivotal role in raising awareness of UNHCR campaigns. In 2019, OSN broadcasted 30 unique and different stories of refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco and Iraq throughout Ramadan. The docuseries, “I am a refugee, and this is my story” marked the first stage of a long-term partnership between UNHCR and OSN, which aims to drive awareness for the cause.

“OSN is proud to be able to offer our support again to the UNHCR and to help raise awareness of the important work they do. It feels even more crucial that we partner with them during Ramadan given the challenges faced this year. Campaigns such as #everygiftcounts remind people of the importance of our collective responsibility to support each other. Through this collaboration we will be able to broadcast this campaign to millions of people encouraging them to donate to this noble cause,“  explains Sonia Lekhal, Chief Marketing Officer, OSN.

“We are always grateful to partners, especially those in the media industry, who help us advocate and raise awareness on the plight of refugees, and I would like to thank OSN for their generous support of our Ramadan campaign for a second year,” says Houssam Chahine, Chief of Private Sector Partnerships for UNHCR in MENA. “With COVID-19 adding to what’s already a complex situation for refugees, especially those who will observe Ramadan amidst dire conditions, donations from this campaign will provide vital cash assistance to the most vulnerable families, enabling them to make necessary purchases such as rent and food or other basic needs, mitigating some of the negative socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 on them.”
An unprecedented 70.8 million people around the world have been forced from home. Among them are nearly 25.9 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18.

The campaign kicks off with a series of initiatives across the Holy Month, including a virtual press conference launching the 2020 Islamic Philanthropy highlighting the impact of donations to the Refugee Zakat Fund in the past year, in addition to working alongside influential personalities in the region to help promote the campaign and urge people to donate. 

In a world where nearly 1 person is forcibly displaced every two seconds as a result of conflict or persecution, the work at UNHCR is more important than ever before, as is our collective support of these efforts. 
During these difficult times, every gift and every act can make a difference in the lives of those forcibly displaced.