Save the Children Receives $400,000 IKEA Foundation Grant

Two years following the devastating Haiti quake, Save the Children has received a $400,000 donation from the IKEA Foundation for a literacy program for Haitian children. The donation will help improve children's literacy in Haiti by providing learning kits and teaching aids to new teachers, and supplying basic school materials like books, pens and pencils to schoolchildren.

When the earthquake struck Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010, it damaged or destroyed 90% of the schools in Port-au-Prince and Leogane, and more than 60% of schools in the South and West departments. Even before the Haiti disaster, children's hopes of receiving a quality education were grim. Many classrooms had over 60 students, and half of the children aged six to 12 attended school.

“Our aim in Haiti has been to help kids recover from the quake,” explains Per Heggenes, CEO of the IKEA Foundation, “but also to improve their reading and writing skills by supporting innovative new educational programs.”

“We appreciate the IKEA Foundation's support for education of Haitian children,” said Carolyn Miles, CEO & president of Save the Children. “Since the quake, hundreds of schools have been repaired, more teachers have been trained and many kids are back in school. But, this is just a small fraction of what is needed to get education back on track after the quake. This IKEA Foundation donation will help us train teachers and provide much-needed teaching and school supplies.”
Better Access and Quality

Save the Children works closely with schools, Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) and Haiti's Ministry of Education to improve girls' and boys' access to a quality education.

The program has set ambitious goals for the upcoming year. By training 120 teachers, 20 school principals and 10 school inspectors, as many as 4,000 children will benefit from this approach to improving quality. The program also focuses on getting parents involved in the schools, with plans to motivate 200 parents to join PTAs and become advocates for education in their communities.