Mr. Broccoli and his friends are back this year to celebrate IKEA’s annual “Soft Toys for Education” collection, and they’re joined by three new forest friends from the VANDRING series. From November 4 to December 29, for every purchase from the “Soft Toys for Education Campaign” collection, the IKEA Foundation will donate one euro (approximately $1.30) to support UNICEF’s and Save the Children’s global education programs.

It’s December 11—have you finished your holiday shopping? Even if you have, why stop now—especially when there is still more giving and receiving to be done with UNICEF’s cards and gifts collection. And to help shoppers get started, our good friends at Polyvore have featured a few items from our cards and gifts catalog, including chandelier earrings, a baroque pearl bracelet and a glass-beaded necklace.

On the morning of December 4, Super Typhoon Bopha slammed into the southeastern coast of Mindanao in the Philippines. With winds of over 108 mph and heavy, intense rainfall, the storm completely destroyed homes and crops in the hardest-hit areas. So far, there have been 418 confirmed deaths, and 383 persons are still missing. More than 56,000 people were evacuated. UNICEF has been on the ground in the Philippines since 1948 and immediately began assisting families and children in need.

A category 5 typhoon struck the Philippines today, forcing more than 56,000 people to evacuate. More than two dozen people have died, according to media reports.

UNICEF is closely monitoring the situation. With an on-the-ground presence in the Philippines since 1948, UNICEF stands ready to aid children and families affected by the storm.

We will share an update on FieldNotes as soon as possible. In the meantime, if you would like to make a donation to support UNICEF’s relief efforts for children in emergencies, please click here.

When planning your festive affairs this week, consider a special and fun opportunity to make an immediate difference this holiday season. All this week, when you dine at the renowned Michael’s—both the restaurant in New York and the one in Santa Monica—you can help support UNICEF’s measles vaccination efforts. All week, at both locations, there will be a UNICEF card on every table encouraging diners to add a dollar contribution to their check.

As shoppers search to find holiday gifts for friends and family this year, many will continue to look for a gift that gives back. This year, it could come in the form of a pig! New this holiday, national home fashions retailer HomeGoods is offering eight styles of limited edition oversized ceramic piggy banks. For each piggy bank purchased at HomeGoods stores until January 31, 2013, HomeGoods will donate 50% of the purchase price to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

November 27 marks the first ever “Giving Tuesday,” better known as #GivingTuesday. On the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday will be a day dedicated to giving back. Discover is a founding partner of #GivingTuesday and will be offering an extra incentive to its cardmembers who would like to give back today.

Last week, the Southeast Regional Office of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF hosted their final UNICEF Speaker Series of 2012. The program, entitled Access and Opportunity for All: A Conversation about Children and Disability, took place at the world-renowned Shepherd Center and gave experts and concerned Atlantans an opportunity to openly discuss the topic of disability and how it affects young people around the world.

UNICEF is deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in Gaza and Israel. As a result of ongoing conflict, innocent children are being killed, injured and traumatized.

UNICEF calls on all parties to do everything to exercise the utmost restraint and protect the rights and well-being of all children.

If you would like to support relief efforts for affected children, please consider making an online donation.

After the temporary loss of our New York headquarters in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF is determined to continue fighting for the world’s children. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF has been operating at full capacity since the storm. Within two days of the hurricane, almost 50 staffers had moved into emergency offices in northern Manhattan. Our six regional offices around the country are all up and running. Whatever difficulties we may face right now, we won’t put the world’s children on hold. The stakes are simply too high.