UNICEF Encourages Holiday Shoppers to Put Children First

NEW YORK (July 11, 2016) – This holiday season, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF is encouraging shoppers to put children first by purchasing gifts that support UNICEF’s work to save and improve the lives of children around the world.

UNICEF Market, a partnership between the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and NOVICA, offers handcrafted products that benefit children in need, as well as supporting artists from Asia, Africa and Latin America. From jewellery to accessories to home décor, each item purchased supports UNICEF programs that provide children with basic necessities such as lifesaving nutrition, medicine, education, clean water, emergency relief and more.

UNICEF Market offerings this year include “Trio Chandelier”, sterling silver wavy chandelier earrings from Thailand ($29.99); “Majestic Elephant”, a wooden elephant sculpture hand carved in India ($32.99); and an alpaca wool blend reversible poncho, “Gray Black Glyths”, by Isidoro C'cahuantico, from the Andes ($147.99). www.market.unicefusa.org

“Children are disproportionately affected by conflicts and natural disasters, as we have seen this year with drought caused by El Niño and the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis,” said Caryl M. Stern, president & CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. “This holiday season, we are asking people to choose gifts that support UNICEF’s efforts to help the world’s most vulnerable children survive and thrive.”

UNICEF Inspired Gifts www.inspiredgifts.org, will also be available to buy this year. These lifesaving items can be purchased in honor of a loved one and go directly to help children in need in developing countries. Some examples of UNICEF Inspired Gifts include the following:

• Therapeutic Food: A “miracle food”, this peanut-based paste can mean the difference between life and death. This gift provides quick, lifesaving nourishment to 15 malnourished children for five days ($70.20).
• Measles Vaccinations: Measles is still a leading global cause of vaccine-preventable death and disability in childhood. For $30, this inspired gift will provide vaccines for 80 children.

The UNICEF Kid Power Band gives kids the power to get active and save lives. By getting active with the world’s first WEARABLE-FOR-GOOD™, kids go on missions to learn about new cultures and earn points. Points unlock funding from partners, parents and fans, and funds are used by UNICEF to deliver lifesaving packets of therapeutic food to severely malnourished children around the world.

UNICEF Kid Power is a program of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, and is made possible through the generous support of Presenting Sponsors Star Wars: Force for Change and Target.*

People everywhere are joining the UNICEF Kid Power Team, working together to help end global malnutrition. To date, the UNICEF Kid Power Team has earned more than 9 million Kid Power Points, enough to unlock more than 1.7 million packets of therapeutic food – and counting! Families can join the Team by purchasing a UNICEF Kid Power Band — available this holiday season in Target stores and on Target.com — and downloading the free companion UNICEF Kid Power App. UNICEF Kid Power Bands are available in blue, orange, and two special Star Wars: Force for Change editions in black and green.

Additional Holiday Gifts that Give Back Available from UNICEF Partners:

ALEX AND ANI
ALEX AND ANI is partnering with UNICEF to support children affected by conflict and natural disasters, as well as provide funding for programs that help kids heal from trauma and have a brighter future through education and play. Through sales of “Kindred Cord World Peace Collection” (RRP $21) and “Bright Future Charm Bangles” (RRP $28) ALEX AND ANI will donate 20% of the purchase price** from each piece sold Aug. 15, 2016 to Feb. 28, 2018, to support programs that address the immediate needs of children following an emergency, as well as initiatives that focus on play as a way to build peaceful futures. Both items are available at ALEX AND ANI stores and authorized retailers. For more information, visit www.alexandani.com

Pier 1 Imports
For more than 20 years, Pier 1 Imports and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF have held a children’s greeting card contest to help generate awareness for the world’s children. As part of the prize, the winning design will be 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 2016 holiday season. The Grand Prize Winner of last year’s contest for the theme “One World, One Heart” is Erin, age 11, from New Jersey. One hundred percent of the sales price of all UNICEF cards sold at U.S. Pier 1 Imports stores and pier1.com 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 $12) that can be purchased online at market.unicefusa.org and through UNICEF partners Pier 1 Imports, IKEA, 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. In 2010, MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell teamed up with UNICEF to launch the K.I.N.D or Kids in Need of Desks fund to provide 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. 

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:
Sophie Aziakou, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 917.720.1397, saziakou@unicefusa.org
Chloe Kay, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 917.214.1418, ckay@unicefusa.org
 

*For each UNICEF Kid Power Band purchased in U.S. Target stores and Target.com between 10.13.2015 and 12.31.2016, Target will donate $10 to United States Fund for UNICEF. The more kids move, the more Kid Power points they earn. Kid Power points are converted to funding by partners, parents and fans. UNICEF uses funding to deliver lifesaving packets of therapeutic food to severely malnourished children. The Kid Power donation/program is not being administered by Target. For more information on the UNICEF Kid Power program, visit www.unicefkidpower.org. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF does not endorse any brand or product. Donation is not tax deductible for guests.

** Purchase price includes sales to ALEX AND ANI retail and web customers, and authorized retailers. No portion of the purchase price is tax deductible. UNICEF does not endorse any brand, company, or service.