NEW YORK, USA: Acknowledging the potential of the social networking sites the United Nations refugee agency said it will be using social networking site'Facebook' to raise funds for the refugees in Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan.

Under a new virtual charity scheme, Facebook users can purchase 'gifts' for 16 non-profit organizations, including the “Gimme Shelter” campaign of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said today.

A virtual UNHCR tent is of worth $10, while a 'Gimme Shelter' token costs $5. "If 20 friends buy a virtual tent, they will raise enough funds for a refugee family to live in a real tent," said Claudia Gonzalez-Gisiger, UNHCR's Senior External Relations Officer.

"That's the power of online social networking." The agency’s 'Gimme Shelter' campaign is based on a short film of the same name by Academy Award winners Ben Affleck and John Toll.

Shot in the DRC’s volatile North Kivu province, it highlights the suffering and hopes of civilians forced from their homes by conflict.