Rolled Up Newspaper

UNICEF to Offer Unique Gifts that Give Back this Holiday Season

Shoppers can purchase gifts that help put children first from UNICEF partners NOVICA, IKEA,  Pier 1 and more

New York (July 15, 2015) – This holiday season, UNICEF is asking shoppers to put children first by purchasing gifts that help save and protect children around the world. Through a unique offering of gifts that give back and handcrafted items from UNICEF Market, gift-givers will help to support artisans in countries where UNICEF works and help children around the world.

Now in its second year, UNICEF Marketmarket.unicefusa.org is a charitable, online holiday marketplace and a partnership between the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and NOVICA. Offering thousands of handcrafted items that benefit children in need, shoppers can visit market.unicefusa.org to purchase items for their loved ones. From jewelry to home accents and accessories, each item purchased benefits UNICEF programs that provide children with basic necessities such as lifesaving nutrition, medicine, education, clean water, emergency relief and more.

“Children around the world are deeply affected by humanitarian emergencies, as we have seen this year with the recent Nepal earthquakes and the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis,” said Cary Stern, president and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. “This holiday season, we are asking consumers to put children first by shopping UNICEF Market, which supports our efforts to help the world’s most vulnerable children survive, thrive and make the most of their potential.”

UNICEF Market offerings this year include a set of three “Holiday Owls” ornaments from the Andes ($24.99); ”Elephant Play”, a pair of celadon ceramic elephant sculptures from Thailand ($32.99); “Rejoice”, Balinese sterling silver earrings from Bali and Java ($37.99); and an alpaca and silk scarf, “Rioja Roads”, from the Andes as well ($53.99).

Holiday shoppers can also purchase UNICEF Inspired Gifts www.inspiredgifts.org, actual lifesaving items that can be purchased in honor of a loved one and go directly to help children in need in developing countries. Among the variety of UNICEF Inspired Gifts are:

  • Blankets: provides warmth to three children caught in emergencies or facing bitter cold ($20.67) 
  • Mind & Body Pack: includes one soccer ball, two story books, five pencils and five notebooks to let kids caught in conflict and crisis play, learn and still be kids ($37.38)
  • Super Hero Pack: provides 50 measles, tetanus, and polio vaccines to protect children from these deadly diseases, one vaccine carrier to deliver the vaccines safely, plus six mosquito nets to protect mothers and their babies from malaria ($54.07)
  • Therapeutic Food: a “miracle food”, this peanut-based paste can mean the difference between life and death. Provides quick, lifesaving nourishment to 10 children suffering from acute malnutrition ($72.80)

Additional Holiday Gifts that Give Back Available through UNICEF Partners:

IKEA “Soft Toys for Education”
Since 2003, IKEA has supported UNICEF and Save the Children through the global Soft Toys for Education campaign, helping provide quality education to vulnerable children. For every IKEA Soft Toy or children’s book sold from November 1, 2015 – December 26, 2015, the IKEA Foundation will donate 1 euro (approximately $1.12) to UNICEF and Save the Children for children’s education projects. To date, it has raised more than $102 million and impacted 11 million children in 46 countries. Funds raised for UNICEF through the IKEA Soft Toys for Education campaign support UNICEF’s “Schools for Africa” initiative which focuses on providing a quality education to the most disadvantaged children by increasing enrollment and retention, teacher training, improving education for children by training teachers, providing educational learning materials and increasing school attendance. For more information, visit www.ikeafoundation.org.

Pier 1 Imports®
For more than 20 years, Pier 1 Imports® and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF have held a greeting card contest with the winning design being reproduced as an official UNICEF greeting card. The winning card will be sold exclusively at Pier 1 Imports® stores nationwide and on pier1.com during the 2015 holiday season. The Grand Prize Winner of this year’s contest for the theme “Spreading Holiday Cheer” is Sriya, age 7, from California. One hundred percent of the sales price of all UNICEF cards sold at U.S. Pier 1 Imports® stores will go to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF to support UNICEF’s work to put children first.

Additionally, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF is offering a selection of boxed holiday cards ($10 to $20) that can be purchased online at market.unicefusa.org and through UNICEF partners Pier 1 Imports®,  IKEA, Barnes and Noble, and select Hallmark Gold Crown stores. One hundred percent of the purchase price of each pack of holiday cards purchased at Pier 1 Imports® and IKEA stores will go directly to support UNICEF programs.

K.I.N.D. (Kids in Need of Desks)
In Malawi, three out of five students struggle to learn while sitting on the floor or on the ground outdoors. K.I.N.D: Kids in Need of Desks offers desks for children in schools within the sub-Saharan country. With a contribution of $65, UNICEF can provide a desk and a bench for two students, ensuring they have a proper place to learn and concentrate. In addition, the K.I.N.D. fund provides 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 are available for purchase at www.unicefusa.org/donate/be-kind-student-malawi-donate-desk.

American Airlines (Change for Good)
Travelers visiting their loved ones this holiday season can make a difference for children in need around the world. Through UNICEF’s Change for Good program on American Airlines, passengers on select American Airlines international flights or at participating Admirals Club® lounges can use their spare change to help support UNICEF’s work. To date, more than $130 million has been raised through the global Change for Good program, helping to save and improve millions of children’s lives.

Delta Air Lines
As part of Delta’s 16-year partnership with the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, Delta SkyMiles® members can donate their unused frequent flyers miles to the organization for travel in support of UNICEF’s lifesaving work for children. To donate miles, visit delta.com/skywish.

About UNICEF
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first. UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization, by 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 no children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.

For more information, contact:
Marci Greenberg, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 212.922.2464, mgreenberg@unicefusa.org