The IKEA Group and UNICEF are long-term partners working together at the international and local level. During the past 10 years, IKEA has supported UNICEF programmes benefiting children and their opportunities for learning and developing in Asia, Africa and Central and Eastern Europe.
Improving children's rights in India The IKEA Social Initiative supports a project, run by UNICEF, promoting child rights in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, from where IKEA sources many of its carpets. The aim is to prevent and eliminate child labour in the carpet belt by addressing root causes such as debt, poverty, lack of access to education, disability and ill health. Read more about child labour Read more about children's rights project
Preventing child labour in cotton-seed farming The IKEA Social Initiative supports a UNICEF project aimed at preventing girls from working on cotton-seed farms in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The project initially covers 104 villages, with 63,000 children expected to benefit from the project's focus areas. The project helps children gain access to quality education, empowering girls' collectives to influence their communities, and raises awareness of child labour among NGOs, employers and local government. In addition, 70 government schools are being helped to ensure improvements to the quality of education they offer.
IKEA customers help children in need Since it started in 2003 IKEA Group has raised 6.9 million euros for children in need, from the sale of IKEA PS BRUM teddy bears and other soft toys. During a period leading up to Christmas, 1 euro for each soft toy sold is donated to UNICEF and Save the Children, financing projects to improve children's lives. Read more
In-kind donations and emergency relief aid In emergency situations or situations of need, the IKEA Social Initiative helps UNICEF with in-kind donations and aid, such as donations of IKEA products. For example, after the 2004 tsunami, IKEA Social Initiative donated bed sheets, quilts, blankets, mattresses and toys to Indonesian, Sri Lankan and Indian victims, and after the Pakistan earthquake in 2006, the IKEA Social Initiative donated 335,000 quilts to earthquake-affected families.
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