Education has always played an important role in my life from an early start. My mother instilled in me (and each of my 4 siblings) how transformative it could be to study hard and excel in school. She wanted each of her kids to have the opportunities that she was denied in her own life, after her father withdrew her from school to work. However, through her hardships and sacrifices she was able to pave the way for her own children to get a good education, attend prestigious universities and live a better life.
I understand the value of a good education on the overall qualify of life, so it saddens me when these opportunities are not available for children all over the world.
IKEA recognizes the impact an education can make…especially as it relates to helping children escape poverty.
Education has the power to transform lives, having a direct impact on well-being, from better health to increased opportunities. It equips children with knowledge skills and confidence to shape a better future for themselves. And when a child begins and stays in school, he or she begins to change the course of life for future generations!
This is one of the reasons the IKEA Foundation is the largest global corporate donor to Save the Children and UNICEF, funding projects that include helping to improve children’s education. Donations made to these non-profits will help in numerous ways ranging from training teachers in child-friendly teaching methods and supplying educational materials to providing better water and toilet facilities and increasing school attendance rates.
This year, for every soft toy and children’s book sold between November 9, 2014 and January 3,2015 the IKEA Foundation will donate $1.00 to children’s education through UNICEF and Save the Children.
And last year alone, the Foundation raised $13.6 million and over $1 million of that being raised in the US. This year’s outlook has contributions surpassing the $100 million mark!
So this year, whether you’re shopping around for your kids or just browsing, please consider purchasing a toy from IKEA and help transform the lives of children everywhere! There are plenty of items to choose from – and this year IKEA has added 5 new heroes soft toys.
To learn more, visit www.ikeafoundation.org or the IKEA Foundation on Facebook.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.
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