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Our response to COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global health crisis, and we are responding in several ways.

Helping families afford a better life

Families living in poverty around the world face tremendous challenges. With millions of people looking to join the workforce, many find it difficult to find a job and earn a sustainable income.

Protecting the planet

Temperatures are rising, causing changes in our climate that threaten every aspect of our lives—from the food we eat to the water we drink to the air we breathe.

Stories

Building robust local supply chains in Kenya

Nearly 50% of harvested fruit and vegetables in Kenya is lost before it even reaches the customer, due to fragmented and uninformed supply chains. That means for every avocado you...

5 mins May 15, 2020

Our donation to MSF will help protect communities most vulnerable to COVID-19

The IKEA Foundation has donated €3 million to our partner Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to support their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. This donation comes from the €10 million fund...

3 mins May 14, 2020

The right time to do right is always right now

We know that the challenges ahead can sometimes seem overwhelming. But there are things we can do to help make sure families have bright futures on a liveable planet. Here...

2 mins April 22, 2020

Why we need to rethink our food systems

At first glance the COVID-19 crisis and the climate and biodiversity crises might seem unrelated, but you don’t have to dig too deeply to find connections. Natural habitats are shrinking...

4 mins April 21, 2020

Rapid funds for COVID-19 response in vulnerable communities

Our partner Start Network has launched a new COVID-19 fund to anticipate and respond to the critical needs of people living in low-income countries. Last week, the IKEA Foundation kickstarted...

3 mins April 9, 2020

Why we need to keep talking about climate change

At this moment, we are all adjusting to the new reality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like any other organisation, the IKEA Foundation’s top priority is to protect our...

3 mins March 31, 2020

Médicins Sans Frontières on frontline of COVID-19 response

Our partner Médicins Sans Frontières (MSF), the international medical humanitarian organisation, is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe and around the world. Since the beginning of the outbreak, MSF...

3 mins March 24, 2020

Times are changing: women entrepreneurs challenge social norms in Bangladesh

Akhti Akher Milli, a fashion and beauty entrepreneur from Dhaka in Bangladesh, has some important advice for young women growing up in her country. She says: “Don’t stay at home,...

5 mins March 19, 2020

Women working for change

We have just 10 years to end all forms of discrimination against women and girls, everywhere, if we are to meet the sustainable development goal for gender equality by 2030....

4 mins March 5, 2020

Our response to COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global health crisis, and we are responding in several ways. At the IKEA Foundation, we believe that everyone’s number one priority should be to look after their family and loved ones, and to stay home wherever possible to stop the virus from spreading. With this in mind, we are talking to our partners about the best ways to progress on the programmes we are funding and how we can help them during this crisis.

Some of our programmes are already working to help people affected by COVID-19, and we are committing up to €10 million to help fund their incredible, life-saving work. We are also talking to our partners about how the pandemic may affect their long-term programmes to protect the planet from climate change and to help families afford a better everyday life. We believe that these programmes are more important than ever before. We know that many of our partners and the communities they serve are facing extraordinary difficulties, and we are committed to supporting them in finding extraordinary solutions.