Ikea spends $48m to help Indian poor

Ikea, the Swedish retailer, is giving $48million (£34m) to Unicef to improve the health and living conditions of children in some of India’s poorest areas.

Some of the money will support national and state-led programmes for combating high mortality rates among children and mothers and improving children’s access to nutrition. The rest of the funds will be used to pipe in clean water and to finance sanitation and health projects, such as providing infants with immunization and vitamin supplements.

The donation makes Ikea the biggest corporate partner of the United Nations children’s foundation. The company has now committed a total of more than $180m.

Saad Houry, Unicef’s deputy chief, said Ikea had shown a ‘serious corporate commitment toward improving the living conditions in countries where it is working’. He added: ‘Ikea’s investment in children’s wellbeing, despite the downturn in the global economy, sets a high standard for corporate partnership.’