India continues to be a key focus area: IKEA Foundation

Foundation has contributed 168 mn euros since 2000 to schemes for children and women, run by its partners

IKEA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Swedish home furnishing major IKEA, says it will strengthen its activities to support children, youth and women in India.

The foundation has been active in India since 2000 and has contributed 168 million euros to programmes run by its different partners targeting children and women in 19 states so far.

"Since 2010 a quarter of our donations went to programmes in India (EUR 94 million) and I can say that India will continue to remain a focus area for us," IKEA Foundation Communications and Strategic Planning Head Jonathan Spampinato told PTI.

Globally, the foundation had made grants totalling 420 million euros since 2010.

"Today, the IKEA Foundation supports projects that change attitude towards child labour, provide education and support children," Spampinato said adding the aim was to help families break the cycle of poverty.

"We also fund programmes to empower women," he said.

Elaborating the foundation's strategy, he said: "Our goal in India is to help children and youth, primarily the ones living in extreme poverty, who are deprived of the opportunities available to most children in the rest of the world."

On the challenges in the country, he said: "In India there are 130 million children living in poverty - so we have a long journey ahead."

The IKEA Foundation works through its selected partners in India. It has partnered with organisations such as Unicef, Save the Children, Landesa, Pradan among others.