Ben & Jerry’s launches ‘Home Safe Home’ in support of refugees

The “social justice company that happens to sell ice cream”, as its CEO Jostein Solheim described, has partnered up with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) for the campaign Together for Refugees – Home Safe Home.

The campaign was launched last night at Rich Mix on World Refugee Day, with copious amounts of ice cream available.

The Union Resettlement Framework legislation supported by Ben & Jerry’s and the IRC would provide a framework and targets for European countries to resettle refugees, with a focus on resettling the most vulnerable and removing the need for dangerous journeys.

The campaign calls on people to contact their elected representatives in the European Parliament to pass the legislation before the UK leaves the European Union (EU).

“The landmark legislation currently being discussed by our representatives in the EU could provide safe and legal routes for refugees to find safety and rebuild their lives, and just ONE email from you could make all the difference,” states the campaign website.

A panel discussion at the launch included Zrinka Bralo, head of Migrants Organise, Ahmad Al-Rashid, an activist and Syrian refugee, Melanie Ward, associate director of the IRC and Natasha Walters, director of Women for Refugee Women.

It’s weird when people tell me happy world refugee day, 5 yrs ago I had a home, a family, a university – Ahmad, syrian #Together4Refugees

— Safya Khan-Ruf (@safyark) June 20, 2017

Ward praised Ben & Jerry’s efforts and hoped “others follow as companies speaking out in Europe on political issues is quite rare”.

Starbucks will be hiring 2,500 refugees to work in its European coffee shops. Meanwhile, Google, Microsoft and Trip Advisor have funded Refugee.Info ­– a website built by the IRC’s tech unit and which provides accurate information to refugees crossing Europe.

Al-Rashid spoke about the harrowing journey he made to the UK, crossing through IS-controlled regions in Iraq.

Yasmin Kadi, a refugee from Sierra Leone and Afrobeat musician, also performed at the event and had some of the audience dancing to her catchy tunes.