Bringing together Amazon’s employee volunteer network with Clean the World, a social enterprise focused on providing recycled soap and hygiene supplies to those with limited access to these products, Amazon employees in London, Madrid, Munich, Milan, Barcelona, Paris, Prague and Luxembourg packed over 50,000 hygiene kits containing essential personal care items. The kits will be distributed to displaced people in need through the logistics networks of Amazon’s long-standing charity partners, including the Red Cross, Save the Children and International Organization for Migration (IOM).
As part of the week-long volunteer activities, Amazon also hosted its first Volunteer Fair at our office in London. Amazon employees had the opportunity to come together with charity partners, learn more about the ongoing efforts of charities who assist refugees to rebuild their lives, and help them raise funds and awareness through volunteering.
“We are delighted to be part of Amazon’s Volunteer Fair to mark World Refugee Day. Around the world, refugee children miss out on an average of three to four years of schooling due to forced displacement and there is a real danger of a generation being deprived of the education they need to restore their future,” said Alicia Billing, senior partnerships manager for Save the Children UK. “We are extremely proud of our partnership with Amazon which is supporting children and youth to become who they want to be, no matter their background. Everyone can play their part in making the world a better place for children to grow up in and we are very grateful for any time and support Amazon employees can give.”
"The highlight of the event was the positive feedback received from Amazon employees regarding our offer," said Inês Araújo, Engagement Manager at Volunteering Works. "They appreciated our capacity to tailor the volunteering activities according to their interests and align them with the specific needs in the community. Thanks for this fantastic opportunity."
"In order to respond to the needs of people who have arrived in Spain as a result of the crisis in Ukraine, the Red Cross continues to work hard to welcome them and accompany them in their integration. Within the framework of this action, Amazon has offered its collaboration in activities aimed at improving access to employment as a gateway to inclusion and autonomy," said José J. Sánchez Espinosa, Director of Social Inclusion of the Spanish Red Cross. "Together with the projects to improve access to employment, the Spanish Red Cross supports child care actions and accreditation of linguistic and technical skills, always seeking, through this personalized work, to achieve full autonomy of the people we care for."
Amazon’s efforts around World Refugee Day are a continuation of our support for people who have been forced to flee their homes to escape war, persecution, violence, and human rights abuse. Amazon recently announced a commitment to hire at least 5,000 refugees in Europe over the next three years. This is an extension of the commitment Amazon made last September, to hire at least 5,000 refugees in the U.S. by the end of 2024.
Amazon continues to support Ukrainian refugees
In addition to extending our hiring commitment in Europe, Amazon is also working towards a goal to provide training to 10,000 Ukrainians through the ITSkills4U programme, an AWS-led initiative to help people who are interested in expanding their job opportunities in non-IT roles, switching to IT, or advancing their IT career. In addition to world-class IT training, people who participate in this programme can get advice on their CV, participate in language courses, and get connected with employers looking to hire.
Amazon has provided humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine since the first day of the Russian invasion, which has become Amazon’s largest global humanitarian aid relief effort to date. Amazon’s support included activating charity wish list campaigns, providing cloud computing credits, matching employee donations, and end-to-end support for millions of donated products. Amazon also supported Ukrainian children by donating education supplies and thousands of devices, as well as funding educational activities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for Ukrainian children. So far, Amazon has facilitated donations of more than $105 million to over 350 organisations worldwide, including charities, NGOs, and the Ukrainian government.
