IKEA, Gucci, H&M and Montblanc Offer Holiday Items that Support UNICEF

Shoppers also may send life-saving items directly to children in need

NEW YORK, Oct. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This holiday season, shoppers can help save and improve children's lives when purchasing gifts for their loved ones. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF is offering a wide array of gifts that give back, from actual lifesaving items for children to selections from UNICEF's cards and gifts collection. Well-known brands like IKEA, Gucci, Montblanc and H&M are also featuring gift options that benefit UNICEF's programs for children around the world.

"As we prepare to celebrate the holiday season, we ask shoppers to help support vulnerable children who don't have access to basic things we may take for granted, like food or clean water," said U.S. Fund for UNICEF president and CEO Caryl Stern. "UNICEF is working around the clock to help these children and their families, including more than four million children affected by the ongoing conflict in Syria."

UNICEF's Cards and Gifts Collection
UNICEF's holiday catalog features gift ideas that are ideal for any age. Offerings include an around the world mug ($12) for friends and family in any time zone, an expertly hand-carved mango wood serving tray ($50), and a marine life bath towel & mitt ($35) three-piece set for the youngest member of the family. Caryl Stern's uplifting new memoir,  I Believe In ZERO: Learning From the World's Children, is also available in this year's catalog. The book paints a vivid portrait of the lives impacted through the efforts of UNICEF. To shop online visit shop.unicefusa.org/.

Additionally, UNICEF boxed cards (from $10 to $20) can be purchased online and at Pier 1 Imports, IKEA, Barnes and Noble and select Hallmark Gold Crown stores. Individual holiday cards ($2.50 to $5.99) are being sold at Barnes and Noble and select Hallmark Gold Crown stores. For all UNICEF cards purchased in Pier 1 Imports and IKEA, the retailers will donate 100 percent of the purchase price of each holiday card pack. IKEA will also donate an additional $1 per pack sold.  

The card designed by this year's grand prize winner of the annual Pier 1 Imports / UNICEF Greeting Card contest, Atticus Silbaugh, age 8 from Shrewsbury, Pa., is being sold exclusively at Pier 1 Imports stores across the country and on Pier1.com this holiday season.

UNICEF Inspired Gifts
UNICEF's Inspired Gifts offer a unique alternative option for holiday shoppers who wish to provide children in developing countries with critically-needed, lifesaving items. For example, a gift of a mosquito net ($20.75) will protect a child against malaria, the third biggest killer of children globally. In addition to other individual gifts such as story books ($30) or blankets ($23.84), shoppers may also choose options such as the "Super Hero Pack" ($50.13), which includes vaccines, a vaccine carrier and mosquito net; and "Milk and Cookies" ($139.50) containing  therapeutic milk and food to provide a child with lifesaving nourishment.

K.I.N.D: Kids in Need of Desks ($63) offers desks for children in schools in Malawi, where four out of five students do not have a desk or chair. In addition, the K.I.N.D. fund is providing scholarships for girls in Malawi. A donation of $177 delivers one year of education, including tuition, room and board, text books, transportation, a school uniform and learning supplies. These gifts and more are available for purchase at www.unicefusa.org/inspiredgifts.

Corporate Partners
Education is a fundamental human right, and yet there are 57 million children not enrolled in elementary school globally. Partners such as Gucci, IKEA, Montblanc and H&M are supporting critical education programs, such as UNICEF's Schools for Africa and Schools for Asia initiatives, which aim to provide millions of children with access to a quality education. 

Gucci "Nice" Shopper Bag
Gucci's Creative Director Frida Giannini has designed the sixth special edition "Gucci for UNICEF" bag. The exclusive "Nice" shopper bag, part of Gucci's signature "Nice" collection, is designed in antique rose micro Guccissima leather. Gucci will donate 25 percent of the retail price of each bag sold through May 2014 to benefit UNICEF's "Schools for Africa" and "Schools for Asia" initiatives in Malawi, Mozambique, and China. Gucci's support helps UNICEF build schools, ensure classrooms are child-friendly, and train teachers. Gucci, a longtime UNICEF partner, has donated more than $18 million to UNICEF. The "Gucci for UNICEF" bag is available in Gucci stores worldwide and at www.gucci.com.

IKEA "Soft Toys for Education"
Since the IKEA "Soft Toys for Education" campaign launch ten years ago, the IKEA Foundation has raised nearly $74 million, helping improve educational opportunities for more than 10 million children in 46 countries. This year, from Nov. 10 – Jan. 4, for every purchase from the "Soft Toys for Education" collection, the IKEA Foundation will donate one euro (approximately $1.35) to support UNICEF and Save the Children global education programs, including UNICEF's "Schools for Africa" initiative. This year's collection includes new fairy-tale creatures such as the NOJSIG Soft Toy Princess, KRULLIG Elf Soft Toy and VRIDVINGE Fairy Tail Wings, each for $4.99. For more information, visit www.ikeafoundation.org.

Montblanc "Signature for Good"
Since its partnership with UNICEF began in 2004, Montblanc has contributed more than $5 million to support UNICEF education programs for children in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In Ethiopia alone, Montblanc funding has enabled UNICEF to improve the quality of elementary school education for more than two million girls and boys. Montblanc's latest "Signature for Good" collection, which has already raised $1.5 million this year, features special edition writing instruments, jewelry pieces and leather accessories. For every piece in the "Signature for Good" collection sold between February 23, 2013, and March 2014, Montblanc will donate 10 percent of the retail price to support UNICEF's education programs for children. Collection items range in price from $210 - $805 and are available at Montblanc boutiques nationwide and at www.montblanc.com.

H&M "All for Children"
H&M launched the All for Children initiative with UNICEF in 2009 with a $4.5 million donation to help children in some of the world's poorest communities.  By donating 25 percent of all retail sales from this year's All for Children collection, which features an 18th century theme of bow detailed skirts, gold trimmed sweaters, printed tights and fully flounced pastel and off-white dresses with accessories to match, H&M will help UNICEF provide children living in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with improved access to education and protection of their basic rights, including prevention of child labor. The collection will be available in the U.S. and globally online and in select stores through December 31, or while supplies last. For store locations and more information about the collection, visit http://www.hm.com/us/all-for-children. 

Delta Air Lines
Through Delta's SkyWish program SkyMiles® members can donate their unused frequent flier miles to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF for travel in support of UNICEF's lifesaving work for children. As part of a more than ten year partnership between the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and Delta, this is a simple way for members to put their unused SkyMiles to good use this holiday season. For more information or to donate miles, visit www.delta.com/skywish 

About UNICEF
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to save and improve children's lives, providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, 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. Together, we are working toward the day when zero children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.

SOURCE U.S. Fund for UNICEF