Qatar Charity’s al-Fayyad and Ikea Qatar’s Sharma at the launch of the Soft Toys for Education Campaign yesterday.
Ikea Qatar yesterday launched its annual Soft Toys for Education Campaign, in association with Unicef and Qatar Charity (QC), to help improve the lives of needy children in the country and across the world.
“As part of the campaign, for every soft toy sold in the Doha Festival City store between November 10 and January 4, 2014, Ikea Foundation will donate QR5 to help support Unicef’s education programmes around the world,” store manager Adosh Sharma said.
The added channel for contributions has been created through Ikea Qatar’s partnership with Qatar Charity. Customers at the Ikea store will be urged to drop soft toys they buy into a special donation box located after the checkout point.
“Soft toys so donated will be handed over to Qatar Charity for distribution to under-privileged children within Qatar,” Sharma explained in the presence of QC’s programmes and development manager Hamad Abdulmohsin al-Fayyad.
The Ikea Foundation, based in the Netherlands, has been a key partner and supporter of Unicef’s and Save the Children’s work to provide quality education to millions of children worldwide.
Launched in 2003, the Soft Toys for Education campaign has so far benefitted over 10mn children globally. The campaign raised €57mn in total over the last 10 years and €9.3mn in 2012 alone.
Funds raised will support global efforts including improving school infrastructure, access to water and sanitation facilities and training teachers.
“This year, we are pleased to partner with Qatar Charity and we appeal to our customers to donate their Ikea Soft Toys for children in their immediate surroundings,” John Kersten, managing director, Ikea Qatar, UAE, Egypt and Oman, said in a statement.
Ibrahim bin Abdullah al-Mohannadi, executive director for local development, QC, urged customers to think of the many children in need and donate wholeheartedly towards the cause.
