IKEA Holiday Gifts Support Global UNICEF and Save the Children Educational Programs.

For every IKEA Soft Toy Sold between November 1 - December 24, Approx. $1.47* (1 Euro) Will Go to UNICEF And Save the Children to Support Children in Need Around the World.

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Lime green hippos, plush indigo elephants; it's a full choir of adorable soft toys that beckon, "take me home." After all, how can you possibly resist a cuddly, charming soft toy that has a meaningful charitable 'give back' gift.

This holiday season, the softest, sweetest and cuddliest IKEA soft toys - amazingly priced - will again be available at all IKEA stores nationwide. These soft toys range in price from $1.49 up to only $19.99. And with each purchase, between November 1 - December 24, approximately $1.47 (1 euro) will go to IKEA's partners UNICEF and Save the Children's educational programs. Proceeds from the IKEA Soft Toys campaign have or will benefit projects in more than 30 countries including India, Uganda, China, and many others.

Since the start of the Soft Toy program in 2003, IKEA has raised over $22 million (16.7 million euros) to help improve the lives of millions of children in Asia, Africa and Central and Eastern Europe. This year's campaign will enable UNICEF and Save the Children to extend or start up new projects in nine countries, as well as finance ongoing projects. Donations focus on improving children's educational needs which includes books and good school facilities. In fact, one euro ($1.47*) is enough to provide five children with school books for one year. It's a program with a big heart; one that makes it possible to join efforts to ensure all children have access to education. This program helps to build the knowledge necessary to combat disease and eradicate poverty and hunger for millions of children around the world.

"The IKEA Soft Toy campaign is a heart warming opportunity for holiday shoppers to give a memorable gift, at a low price, that gives back to support the quality of life for so many children's educational needs," stated Mona Liss, IKEA US spokesperson.

Last year, the IKEA US stores helped lead the IKEA global effort with the second highest soft toy sales. The result was almost $500,000. These funds will go a long way towards helping children reach their full potential.

"The IKEA Soft Toy promotion will provide valuable resources to help us reach the world's most vulnerable children with life-changing opportunities," said Charlie MacCormack, President and CEO of Save the Children. "This program can help us ensure that children in marginalized and remote communities have access to education and are able to learn."

"Continuing a long tradition of leadership as a socially responsible company, IKEA, through its soft toy initiative is helping UNICEF to ensure that children can attend school in a safe and protective environment," said Caryl M. Stern, President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. "A quality environment is a vital element in helping us in our goal of reducing the number of children dying from preventable causes from 24,000 a day to zero."

This year also marks the 21st Anniversary for IKEA and the UNICEF holiday greeting card sales partnership. When you purchase UNICEF holiday cards at any IKEA US store, 100% of the proceeds from the sales of the cards go directly to the US Fund for UNICEF with IKEA donating an additional $1 per pack sold. The cards come in boxed choices, from 10 up to 20 cards per box and range in price from $10-$20. IKEA customers have helped to generate over $3 million in support of UNICEF's life saving programs through greeting card purchases since the partnership began in 1988.

INTERACTIVE FUN! IKEA invites all parents and children to enjoy an interactive soft toy video and record their own singing with a few simple clicks. Come meet the soft toy animals at IKEA.com/SOFTTOYSAID (live November 1).

*IKEA store signage states $1 soft toy contribution. This release clarifies the specific dollar US amount. As of October 28, 2009, one euro was equivalent to $1.47.

**With each purchase, between November 1 - December 24, approximately $1.47 (1 euro) is split between UNICEF and Save the Children's educational programs.

About IKEA: IKEA places great value on life at home. Since its 1943 founding in Sweden, IKEA has offered home furnishings and accessories of good design and functional living solutions at prices so low that the majority of the people can afford them. Currently there are more than 300 IKEA stores in 37 countries, including 48 in North America (11 in Canada; 37 in the US). IKEA has six distribution centers in North America, with a manufacturing facility in Danville, VA. IKEA has been named to BusinessWeek's List of The Best Global Brands (August 7, 2006) and for four consecutive years, Working Mother magazine's annual list of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers." IKEA was listed in March 2007, on Fast Company's Fast 50, for its environmentally responsible products, as well as five consecutive years, Training magazine's annual list of top companies that excel at human capital development. IKEA incorporates environmentally friendly efforts into day-to-day business and continuously supports initiatives that benefit causes such as children and the environment including UNICEF, Save the Children and American Forests. To visit the IKEA Web site, please go to www.IKEA-usa.com. To learn more about IKEA environmental and social responsibility action sand programs, visit http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/about_ikea/index.html.

About UNICEF: UNICEF has saved more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. Working in over 150 countries, UNICEF provides children with health care, clean water, nutrition, education, emergency relief, and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy, and education in the United States. UNICEF is at the forefront of efforts to reduce child mortality worldwide. There has been substantial progress--the annual number of under-five deaths dropped from 13 million in 1990 to 8.8 million in 2008. But still, 24,000 children die each day from preventable causes. Our mission is to do whatever it takes to make that number zero by giving children the essentials for a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.

Save The Children: 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 and, in times of acute crisis, mobilizing rapid life-saving assistance to help children recover from the effects of war, conflict and natural disasters. For more information, please visit www.savethechildren.org. Save the Children USA is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, a global network of 29 independent Save the Children organizations working to ensure the well-being and protection of children in more than 120 countries.

SOURCE IKEA

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