Thank you, IKEA customers and co-workers! 11 million children supported since 2003
January 30, 2014
IKEA’s Soft Toys for Education campaign raises €10.1 million to help improve children’s education across Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and Asia.
The IKEA Foundation donates the money to projects run by UNICEF and Save the Children.
The annual IKEA Soft Toys for Education campaign ran from November through December 2013 in all IKEA stores around the world. For each soft toy or children’s book purchased, €1 will be donated to UNICEF and Save the Children by the IKEA Foundation.
Since the start of this annual campaign in 2003, the IKEA Foundation has donated €67 million, which has helped improve the educational opportunities of more than 11 million children in 46 countries. The donations help UNICEF and Save the Children train teachers in child-friendly teaching methods, improve child protection systems, supply educational materials, and increase school attendance rates.
Thanks to this year’s donation, the IKEA Foundation will support 19 UNICEF and Save the Children projects in 18 countries. UNICEF’s share will fund the Schools for Africa initiative in eight countries and the Schools for Asia initiative in China. Save the Children’s share will support education for children of the most marginalised groups in Asia and Eastern Europe.
“Education is the key to unlocking a brighter future for every child, especially the most vulnerable and excluded. UNICEF is grateful for its strong partnership with the IKEA Foundation, as well as IKEA’s customers and employees, as we work together to help all children receive the quality education they deserve,” said Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director.
“This year marks the 20th anniversary of our long-term strategic collaboration with the IKEA Foundation. It’s also the 8th consecutive year that Save the Children is part of the IKEA Soft Toys for Education campaign. Through the IKEA Foundation’s commitment to helping vulnerable children gain access to a quality education, children of minority groups and children with disabilities—as well as their families and communities—all benefit from the proceeds of the campaign for a better and brighter future,” said Elisabeth Dahlin, Secretary General of Save the Children Sweden and Chairperson Global Lead Agency for the Save the Children and IKEA Foundation collaboration.
For more information please contact:
IKEA: ikea.pr@ikea.com phone +46 709 936376
Save the Children: Caroline Freudenthal, Global PR & Communications Manager, the IKEA Foundation collaboration, Save the Children. E-mail: Caroline.Freudenthal@rb.se phone: +46 733 55 3436
UNICEF: Anna Kowsar, Communication Specialist, Corporate Partnerships
Private Fundraising and Partnerships Division UNICEF. E-mail: akowsar@unicef.org phone: +41 22 909 5325
More information:
About the 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 by 2015. Learn more at www.IKEAfoundation.org and www.Facebook.com/IKEAfoundation
About IKEA
IKEA is a home furnishings company with Swedish origins founded in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad. The IKEA vision is to ‘create a better everyday life for the many people.’ The business idea is to offer a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishings at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. IKEA has a total of 340 stores in 40 countries, of which 40 stores are owned and run by franchisees outside the IKEA Group. IKEA stores welcomed a total of 776 million visitors last year. Please visit www.ikea.com
About Save the Children
Save the Children is the world’s leading independent organisation for children. 30 national organisations are working together to deliver programmes in more than 120 countries around the world Save the Children’s vision is a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation. Save the Children’s mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives. For more information, please visit www.savethechildren.net
About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information, please visit www.unicef.com and follow us on Facebook
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