When we’re able, we take a break from the “All PR, All the Time” road to help out a good cause. And, today we’ve found a worthy one, The Blue Key campaign. No PR spin necessary, this campaign is truly an emotional triumph for the more than 43 million refugees displaced by war, violence or persecution (nearly the combined populations of New York and Texas.)
It is also worth noting that this campaign has gained much of its exposure in the land of social media. It has sparked the attention of many of the social media elite, so, congrats! Now, let’s move on to the cause.
The Blue Key Campaign is a project of USA for UNHCR (www.unrefugees.org), a US-based 501c3 that works to raise awareness and funds in the US for Geneva-based UNHCR (www.unhcr.org). That’s the technical part. What is it really? It’s a way to help chip away at the international refugee crisis.
According to UNHCR statistics released in 2010:
- About 43.3 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide at the end of 2009, the highest number of people uprooted by conflict and persecution since the mid-1990s. That’s nearly the combined populations of New York and Texas
- Women and girls represent 47% of all refugees and asylum seekers
- Approximately 41% of the world’s refugees and asylum seekers—over 17 million people—are under 18; as many as 11 percent are under the age of 5
We all know what it is like to feel lost, confused and defenseless. Maybe you lost your job or a loved one and were teetering on the brink of disaster. Hopefully, someone was there to help you out and you were able to right yourself. There are 43 million people who don’t have that person to lean on, but they can with the help of the USA for UNHCR and us.
June 20th is World Refugee Day. The goal of the Blue Key is to have 6,000 Americans proudly wearing their symbolic blue key, a $5 pin or pendant, by June 20 to show their support.
Why the Blue Key? It’s a symbol of the key to a home that the displaced refugees don’t have.
How can you help? Get a key and put it on. It costs you a $5 donation and it gives the refugees the chance they need.