IKEA Foundation to fund documentary, social movement inspired by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof

On International Day of the Girl Child, the IKEA Foundation announces that it has teamed up with the award-winning Half the Sky Movement for a second time with a new €1.12 million grant.

Building on the successes of the first multimedia series Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, leading the way with over 1,700 ambassadors created and millions raised for NGOs fighting for women’s rights around the world, the Movement will use the new grant to produce a follow-up series, “A Path Appears”. The documentary will feature inspirational stories of people who are tackling discrimination and abuse in their own communities, encouraging viewers to do the same by joining the Movement’s community ambassador programme and by supporting organisations fighting for women’s empowerment.

Nick Kristof, the New York Times journalist who founded Half the Sky Movement with his wife Sheryl WuDunn, said: “Even in a complex world, it’s still possible to make a difference. Sure, helping people is harder than it looks, but the world now has solid evidence of what works—and some of the interventions are astonishingly cheap. There’s lots more we can all do, and we hope you’ll join us on that path!”

Per Heggenes, CEO of the IKEA Foundation, added: “We are funding Half the Sky Movement because we believe that empowering women is one of the best ways to ensure that children have better and more opportunities in life. By highlighting the challenges women face and the incredible organisations fighting women’s oppression, we hope to inspire even more people to take action and join the Movement’s ambassador programme.”

About IKEA Foundation

The IKEA Foundation aims to improve opportunities for children and youth in the world’s poorest communities by funding holistic, long-term programmes that can create substantial, lasting change. The Foundation works with strong strategic partners applying innovative approaches to achieve large-scale results in four fundamental areas of a child’s life: a place to call home; a healthy start in life; a quality education; and sustainable family income. Currently-funded programmes benefit an estimated 100 million children. Learn more at www.IKEAfoundation.org

About the Half the Sky Movement

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide is a movement to confront the greatest moral challenge of our time: the oppression of women and girls across the world. Inspired by the groundbreaking book of the same name, the Half the Sky Movement is a call to action driven by growing awareness that empowering women is the greatest opportunity to increase prosperity and stability around the globe. Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn have lent their voices to women and girls silenced across the world, as well as the unsung heroes working day in and day out to secure their rights and open up opportunities for them to flourish. Join them in this movement!

Contact details:

Jonathan Spampinato, Head of Communications & Strategic Planning

Mobile: +31 611 756336

Jonathan.spampinato@ikeafoundation.org