The idea is simple: for every soft toy, children’s book or children’s card game sold from now until Saturday, 3rd January 2015, the IKEA Foundation will donate one euro to children’s education projects.
A love for reading opens the door to education, which is why IKEA bases the soft toy characters on a children’s book. This year’s book is The Frog Prince by Ulf Stark where young readers are taken on an adventure to the fairy-tale forest and learn all about the special bonds of friendship.
This year’s new soft toy friends from The Frog Prince fairy tale world are:
· TOSIG: the silly frog
· LILLGAMMAL: the red-hooded rebel
· PIPHARE: the wise hare
· KATTUGGLA: the sweet owl
Talking about the annual campaign, CEO of the IKEA Foundation, Per Heggenes, says: “Investing in children’s education is the most powerful way to help them escape poverty. Through IKEA’s Soft Toys for Education campaign, we have been able to improve the education of more than 11 million children through our partnership with Save the Children and UNICEF. Access to a quality education is key to help them create a better future for themselves and their families”.
Peter Power, Executive Director of UNICEF Ireland, says: “Education is a driving force for development. We are delighted to join forces once more with the IKEA Foundation, as well as IKEA’s customers and employees worldwide, to empower the most vulnerable and excluded children, and especially girls, to build a better future for themselves, their families, their communities and our world."
"When a child, no matter what part of the world they live in, receives a quality education they are given the opportunity to fulfil their potential and the results transform whole societies. Already 11 million children have directly benefited from the Soft Toys Campaign.”
