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New York, NY, November 12, 2018 —  UNIQLO is pleased to launch a new campaign to raise awareness around the global refugee crisis, together with the ̽����ѡ (̽����ѡ) and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street. Sesame Workshop and the ̽����ѡ are implementing a groundbreaking early childhood intervention for refugee children and families in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria; UNIQLO will promote their work with “Cards for Hope,” a campaign running November 12^th to December 2^nd.

During the campaign, UNIQLO will be selling special greeting cards featuring artwork by Syrian refugee children in Lebanon, created specifically for the campaign. The cards are available now in New York City stores (Soho, 5th Ave., and 34th St.) and in San Francisco at the Union Square store.  Starting November 19th, they will also be available at UNIQLO.com. UNIQLO will donate 100% of the sales from the cards to Sesame Workshop and the ̽����ѡ’s transformative early childhood development work in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, which has the potential to give millions of children the socioemotional skills they need to succeed in school and later in life.

“UNIQLO is proud to use its global platform in the apparel industry to raise awareness of the global refugee crisis with the ‘Cards for Hope’ campaign,” said Jean Shein, Global Director of Sustainability at UNIQLO. “We look forward to bringing these beautifully-designed greeting cards into our stores to highlight Sesame Workshop and the ̽����ѡ's work to bring education and nurturing care to children impacted by the refugee crisis."

UNIQLO will also invite elementary school groups to participate in drawing workshops at retail locations in New York, San Francisco, Tokyo, and Berlin, with special appearances by costumed Sesame Street characters. At the workshops, students will learn about the refugee crisis from ̽����ѡ educators and create drawings about their dreams for the future, just like the children in Lebanon did for the greeting cards.

“Building a better future starts with imagination,” said Sheila Kelly, Sesame Workshop’s Chief Development Officer. “Working with the ̽����ѡ, we’ve seen a generation of children affected by war and displacement who have been denied the ability to imagine a life beyond the here and now. By fostering moments of learning, laughter, and creativity through our joint program—and amplifying that work through campaigns like UNIQLO’s ‘Cards for Hope’– we hope to help displaced children in the Syrian response region dream of brighter tomorrows.”

“The trauma of being forced to flee your home as a young child is not only painful in the short-term, but also causes toxic stress, which impacts social-emotional development in the long-term. Together with Sesame Street, the ̽����ѡ will address these issues for millions of children displaced by the Syrian crisis, and help restore their dreams for the future,” said Lauren Gray, Senior Director of Institutional Philanthropy and Partnerships at the ̽����ѡ. “We’re so excited to have UNIQLO - one of the largest fashion brands in the world - launch this campaign to raise awareness around the refugee crisis and celebrate our work to bring hope and opportunity to millions of children.”

For additional information about the “Cards for Hope” campaign, please visit . To learn more about the ̽����ѡ and Sesame Workshop’s program in the Middle East, please visit .