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.

This month, the IKEA Foundation and UNICEF are celebrating over ten years of working together to improve the lives of more than 74 million children and their families in India. In collaboration with the government of India, the IKEA Foundation and UNICEF India have contributed to major improvements in the lives of children over the past decade.

Attention last minute holiday shoppers! Are you looking to give a present that also makes a difference for children? Then you’ve come to the right place. This year, you can give a gift you feel good about.

Now through December 24, when you buy a soft toy at IKEA stores, you are helping to give a child a brighter future. Through its annual “Soft Toys for Education” campaign, IKEA continues its long-standing partnership with UNICEF by helping to provide children with access to a quality education.

IKEA continues to be UNICEF’s largest global corporate cash donor, providing significant support for UNICEF’s education programs, including UNICEF’s Schools for Africa program. Last year, IKEA and its customers contributed over $1 million to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF through the company’s annual soft toy campaign and UNICEF greeting card sales, which generated over $10 million for UNICEF globally.

IKEA co-workers (employees) are instrumental to the success of the soft toy campaign and IKEA’s overall partnership with UNICEF. Following the 2011 campaign, two IKEA co-workers from top performing IKEA stores in the United States were selected to have the opportunity to travel to see UNICEF’s programs and the impact of IKEA’s donations for children firsthand. These co-workers – Andrea Sorensen and Deandrea Flick – are wrapping-up their exciting one week trip to South Africa.

Every year from November 1st through December 24th, IKEA donates the equivalent of one Euro to our partners UNICEF and Save the Children for every soft toy that is sold. We call it the Soft Toy Campaign.

Last year IKEA West Chester and IKEA Draper had the best sales results in the U.S. during the campaign. Now, two co-workers, one from each of those stores, get to see for themselves how UNICEF programs in South Africa benefited from the funds donated through the Soft Toy Campaign last year.

Attention last minute holiday shoppers! For the first time ever, from December 18-24, IKEA is expanding its beloved soft toy promotion to include ALL children’s items. For each item sold, IKEA will donate 1 euro (approximately $1.39) to help support UNICEF and Save the Children’s education projects around the world, including UNICEF’s innovative “Schools for Africa” initiative.

Over the past 7 years, IKEA’s soft toy campaign has raised $31 million to support 8 million children in 40 countries worldwide. You can help brighten even more young lives by participating in this year’s expanded campaign!