Emergency aid funded by the IKEA Foundation
Bangladesh Cyclone Sidr 2007
Each year in Bangladesh about 26,000 sq km, 18 percent of the country, is flooded. During severe
floods, the affected area can exceed 55 percent of the total area of the country. Devastating floods
have struck in Bangladesh in 1987, 1988, 1998, 2004, 2007 and 2008.
In 2007 the flood affected 39 of 64 districts and 10.5 million people. More than 7000 people died.
Based on extensive experience, Save the Children has realized that providing immediate relief is not
enough. In order to protect children and ensure their development, long term intervention is
needed.
Children need protection against violence, abuse, exploitation, neglect and they need access to
proper healthcare and sanitation facilities. Furthermore, their education is hampered by the facts
that schools are not repaired and education materials have been lost.
Funded by the IKEA Social Initiative (today incorporated into the IKEA Foundation), Save the Children
reached over 200,000 families with relief aid and helped communities to rebuild schools, roads and
sources of livelihoods in seven districts. Child friendly spaces were established that provided more
than 20,000 children with a safe environment where they were protected from violence and abuse.
It was also important to give the children play and learning opportunities to help them cope after
the disaster.
Burma/Myanmar Cyclone Nargis 2008
In May 2008, Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar causing widespread destruction and loss of life.
Official figures put the death toll at 140,000, but it is estimated that 2.4 million of the 7.35 million
people living in the affected townships were severely affected by the cyclone, with up to 800,000
people displaced. According to the UN, children were estimated to represent 45% of this figure.
Save the Children was able to respond quickly to the emergency situation in Myanmar by rapidly
deploying existing national staff from its long running development programme. Save the Children
implemented food and non-food item distribution, health, nutrition, livelihood, child protection,
education, WASH (water and sanitation), emergency shelter and disaster risk reduction
programmes. Save the Children has reached 620,000 people including 200,000 children.
As part of the IKEA partnership, the IKEA Social Initiative (today incorporated into the IKEA
Foundation) distributed 200,000 soft toys (crocodiles and hippos), which reached Myanmar in a
series of shipments between September and November 2008.
The toys were distributed at the Child Friendly Spaces established by Save the Children. These Child
Friendly Spaces gave girls and boys a safe place to play, to express themselves, and to support each
other in the days, weeks and months after Cyclone Nargis. The toys were used during treatment to
help children recover from their trauma and had a significant impact for many children.
Working in 11 of the affected townships, Save the Children’s child protection team established 157
child friendly spaces which reached over 135,000 children. More than 300 community volunteers
were trained to support children and to facilitate games, songs, health and hygiene awarenessraising etc.
The IKEA Foundation also supports Save the Children in more long-term reconstruction work. Thanks
to funding from the IKEA Foundation, we can make it possible for many of these children whose
schools were damaged or destroyed by the cyclone to get an education.
The project is designed to reach 20,000 children and to integrate into Save the Children’s long term
work in Myanmar in strengthening child protection. By addressing these issues we will ensure better
protection for children from abuse, neglect, violence and exploitation, and from disaster related
risks and hazards. Furthermore, girls and boys will be better prepared to protect themselves in the
event of future emergencies.
India Cyclone Nargis 2008
In September 2008 Cyclone Nargis struck the Bihar region of India, causing the worst floods the area
has seen in 50 years. According to the Indian government, more than 4.7 million people were
affected in some way.
Thousands of hectares of crops were destroyed, causing dramatic consequences in terms of food
shortages and loss of livelihood. Already, before the floods, the Bihar region was fighting against
growing poverty and lack of education for children; 58 percent of the children were estimated to be
malnourished and only 15 percent completed primary education.
Thanks to funding from the IKEA Social Initiative (today incorporated into the IKEA Foundation), Save
the Children could respond immediately and reached 10,000 families, including 40,000 children.
Besides food, medicines and hygiene articles, the IKEA Foundation supported Save the Children in
setting up 80 child friendly spaces in three districts, where children could be protected, and were
able to play and get psychological support.
With the IKEA Foundation’s support, Save the Children provided school kits for 5000 primary school
children, so that children who lost their education materials could resume schooling. The school kits
handed out included a school bag, a water bottle, a pencil box and pencils, an eraser, sharpener,
ruler, colour crayon set, note books and a school dress. The IKEA Foundation also donated Kastanj
blankets that were distributed to 1724 flood affected families of Madhepura and Khagaria before
the winter season.“
Pakistan Flooding 2010
The floods in Pakistan in July 2010 affected more than 21 million people, including at least 10 million
children. The floods which hit the North-West of Pakistan were the worst floods to hit Pakistan in
decades. Families in over 5,500 villages across Pakistan lost homes, livestock, crops and livelihoods.
The flooding destroyed roads, bridges, homes, local businesses and schools. Vast areas of farmland
were ruined.
Children were exposed to contaminated drinking water, life-threatening diseases, food insecurity,
loss of shelter and protection and disruption to their education as their families were displaced.
Save the Children has been working in Pakistan for 30 years and continues to be the largest
responding agent on the ground. Within the first 30 days we reached over 305,000 people through
emergency medical care, hygiene kits, food and shelter. 1.1 million people were provided with food
assistance and we helped a further 283,000 vulnerable people by providing food vouchers and cash
grants. We reached around 123,000 children with our emergency education programme and
established 151 child friendly spaces where children can play safely.
The IKEA Social Initiative ((today incorporated into the IKEA Foundation), supported Save the
Children’s efforts by donating blankets, pillows, soft toys and SUNNAN lamps among other things.
This contribution contributed to alleviating the suffering of thousands of flood affected children and
their families in a time of great distress.