IKEA Social Initiative handles social involvement on a global level. We work together with UNICEF and Save the Children to fight for children's rights to a healthy and secure childhood with access to quality education. Our projects take a holistic approach: improving the health of women and children, creating access to a quality education, and empowering women to create a better future for themselves and their communities.
Improving children's rights in India IKEA Social Initiative supports a project, run by UNICEF, promoting children's 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 labor in the carpet belt by addressing root causes such as debt, poverty, lack of access to education, disability and ill health. Read more
Preventing child labor in cotton seed farming 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 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 labor among NGOs and employers and local government. In addition, 70 government schools are being helped to improve the quality of the education they offer. Read more on UNICEF's website
Improving health of children in South Asia IKEA Social Initiative supports a long term paediatric research program at Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden, to improve the health of children in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The program consists of research and educational activities in Sweden as well as in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Saving the lives of children with cancer in Vietnam IKEA Social Initiative collaborates with the Research Foundation of Lund Vietnam Childhood Cancer Program. The focus of the collaboration will be on saving the lives of children with cancer in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Swedish and Vietnamese doctors will work together during the collaboration. Vietnamese doctors and nurses will spend several months at Lund University Hospital in Lund, Sweden. At the same time, doctors and nurses from Lund University Hospital will participate in work at the National Hospital for Paediatrics in Hanoi. Read more about Lund University Hospital
IKEA customers help children in need Since it started in 2003 the IKEA Group has raised 11 million euros for children in need, from the sale of IKEA PS BRUM teddy bears and other soft toys. In 2007 over 4 million euro was raised leading up to Christmas, as 1 euro for each soft toy sold raised funds to donate to UNICEF and Save the Children projects to improve children's education. Read more
In-kind donations and emergency-relief aid In emergency situations or situations of need, the IKEA Social Initiative helps with in-kind donations and aid. For example, supporting the emergency efforts of Save the Children in flood-affected areas of India and Bangladesh. After the 2004 tsunami, IKEA donated bed sheets, quilts, blankets, mattresses and toys to Indonesian, Sri Lankan and Indian victims. After the Pakistan earthquake in 2006 the IKEA Social Initiative donated 335,000 quilts to earthquake-affected families.
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