Fast Retailing Co. In Japan To Launch ’10 Million Ways To HELP’ Project To Provide Clothing To A Growing Number Of Refugees Across The Globe

On Tuesday, Japanese holding company Fast Retailing Co. announced their "10 Million Ways To HELP" project in collaboration with GU and UNIQLO stores in 16 countries, to provide clothing to an increasing population of refugees worldwide.

Japan Today noted on Wednesday the project will launch in Japan on Oct. 2 and mid-October for other countries, which will encourage people to donate used GU and UNIQLO clothings at the respective stores. Collected items will be distributed through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The UNHCR estimated a total of 59,500,000 refugees have been displaced from their homelands by the end of 2014 due to armed conflict. The figure is at its staggering highest count since the end of World War II in 1945.

According to Fast Retailing on their webpage, an All-Product Recycling Initiative was established in 2006 with the primary goal of recycling clothes to be reused as fuel source. In 2007, the company shifted their focus and started donating the items to displaced individuals through UNHCR. In line with this initiative, the company also launched a drive that encouraged their employees to donate lightly used clothes.

The company also partnered with UNHCR in November 2013 to donate over 800,000 pieces of clothing to the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan that led to the death of at least 6,300 people. The group visited the Philippine province of Tacloban, Leyte, which was the most affected area in the country, with over 80 percent of the city being destroyed by the typhoon.

The people were grateful for the assistance provided by Fast Retailing and UNHCR, with comments including "I now have the joy of dressing myself," and "Even though the typhoon washed away much of my clothing, I now have valuable clothing for going out in" from delighted recipients.

As of April, Fast Retailing has collected over 10 million pieces of clothing that had already been distributed to refugees in 37 countries with the help of UNHCR.

In 201, the company has also initiated an internship program at UNIQLO shops in Japan exclusively for refugees and their families that promotes self-reliance through work experience.