Every year, World Refugee Day is observed on June 20 around the world, in order to commemorate the strength, courage and perseverance of millions of refugees. To honor this day, FnkAsia and UNHCR Pakistan signed a statement of cooperation to promote refugee artisans through their crafts this year.
With FnkAsia being host to a large refugee population, Huma Adnan, owner of the brand, was approached by the UNHCR to provide training to refugees who are living in Karachi. The main aim of this collaboration is to arrange skills training of the refugees and promote their products along with creating livelihood opportunities for them during their stay in Pakistan.
“We as fashion influencers have the potential to start new economic cycles,” said Huma Adnan in a press statement. “My brand utilizes indigenous crafts from different parts of the world. Hence, I became excited and took the challenge to polish their craft and train their business acumen.”
She further went on to say that the refugee crisis is a humanitarian one. “These people lost everything except their courage to move forward. It is our job to recognize them as productive members of the society rather than burdens,”noted Huma.
While the UNHCR Pakistan and FnkAsia will identify the refugee population to work under the supervision of Huma Adnan for the preparation of clothing and jewellery items, the brand will also showcase this work on different platforms. Moreover, the collaborative collection, called ‘The Craft Stories’ will be available online in some time.
