Major companies including Ikea, Lego and Vodafone have pledged to do more to help refugees get access to education and employment. Together, the companies have pledged $250 million toward education and training in jobs and entrepreneurship to aid refugees in becoming more self-sufficient, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said in a statement. The pledges come at the end of a decade in which the number of refugees worldwide has doubled to more than 25 million people, according to the UNHCR. Swedish furniture retailer Ikea said it would support 2,500 refugees through job training and language skills in 30 countries by 2022, backed by a five-year commitment of 100 million euros. Vodafone said it would expand a digital education programme that brings online teaching tools into refugee camps in east Africa. Toymaker Lego pledged $100 million toward play-based learning tools for children displaced by crises in Africa in cooperation with the International Rescue Committee, a U.S.-based charity.

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