The UN high commissioner for refugees today announced a landmark $62 million donation from the IKEA Foundation. The money will aid the effort to expand emergency relief for thousands of people at the world’s largest refugee complex in Dadaab, Kenya.

It is expected 120,000 people will benefit from the donation – almost a quarter of the existing population of Dadaab. The money, which will be staggered over three years, is the largest private donation in the UN refugee agency’s 60 year history, and the first time that a private body has chosen to directly support a major refugee complex.

“This humanitarian gesture by the IKEA Foundation comes at a critical time,” said António Guterres, UN high commissioner for refugees and the head of UNHCR. “The crisis in the Horn of Africa continues to deepen with thousands of people fleeing Somalia every week. We are extremely grateful. Help like this can’t come a moment too soon."

Dadaab has seen a dramatic surge in new arrivals this year as a result of the conflict and drought in Somalia. Originally designed for 90,000 people it now hosts a population of approximately 440,000 people.

“This initiative is a bold but natural extension of IKEA Foundation’s longstanding commitment to making a better everyday life for children and families in need throughout the developing world,” said Per Heggenes, CEO of the IKEA Foundation. “Supporting UNHCR, both immediately and over the long term, is one of the most effective ways to immediately make a difference in the lives of thousands of refugee children and their families.”

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