IKEA donations helping Albanian children

TIRANA, Feb. 3 – Albanian children will benefit from an in-store charity program ran by IKEA, the international furniture retailer, in cooperation with UNICEF and Save the Children, the company said.
Save the Children will use a portion of 10 million dollars raised in the program last year to improve learning for children at risk of exploitation and trafficking in Albania, IKEA said in a press release.
Since the program inception in 2003, IKEA has raised over 35 million dollars globally from in-store IKEA soft toy sales and contributed to improving education for approximately 8 million children in more than 30 countries.
The past 2009 year campaign raised over 10 million dollars, a record high in past donations. The Soft Toy campaign is driven by the IKEA Social Initiative; a commitment to developing communities with the mission to improve children’s rights and opportunities.
“We are very grateful to IKEA for their generous support, which has enabled us to provide quality education to children living in some of the poorest, most remote communities in the world,” said Charlie MacCormack, President and CEO of Save the Children. “Through our partnership, we have been able to reach thousands of young people who would otherwise have little opportunity to learn and develop the skills they need for the future.”
IKEA reaches out to its customers to give back through the sale of their soft toy sales campaign titled One Euro is a Fortune. For every IKEA Soft Toy sold between Nove. 1 – Dec. 24, 1 euro goes to IKEA global partners UNICEF and Save the Children to support children’s educational needs in developing areas.
Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. For more than 75 years, Save the Children has been helping children survive and thrive by improving their health, education and economic opportunities.