Jenna's good causework in Vietnam

A member of staff from Ikea in Edinburgh has recently returned from an eye-opening trip to Vietnam as part of the retailer's annual good causes programme.

Jenna Archibald represented Ikea on a trip to Vietnam

The trip offers co-workers the opportunity to see how projects funded by the IKEA Foundation’s annual Good Cause campaigns help children in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.

Jenna Archibald, is goodsflow manager in the logisitics department at IKEA in Straiton, has worked at the Swedish retailer for ten years.

She has been a part of the Edinburgh store’s good cause campaign committee for a number of years where she helps with fundraising activities and recently visited Vietnam as part of the store’s IWitness programme initiative.

During her trip, Jenna was able to visit six of the 50 schools and several different organisations that Save the Children is working with in Ho Chi Minh City to help protect and provide access to quality education for some of the most vulnerable children.

Jenna said: “This trip has made me feel even more grateful and appreciative of what I have and how blessed my children are to have the lives they do.

“The children we met on the trip have inspired me to be brave, happy and enjoy life.

“The work done is amazing, activities like game shows and child-led self defence classes are set up to educate and support both the children and the teachers to ensure that the children are being protected in accordance with the Vietnamese law.”

And of the school visits she and colleagues made, Jenna said: “The direct interaction we had with the school children moved me. We were able to see what kind, caring and happy children they are. They were so welcoming and excited to see us and loved it when we joined in.

“Through running programmes, such as implementing new counselling rooms in schools and the local community, I can see that the IKEA Foundation in partnership with Save the Children has played a huge part in creating a better everyday life for thousands of children and their families.

“I feel very inspired and will continue to share the great work IKEA and Save the Children are doing in Vietnam to educate and raise awareness about child rights.”

Ikea’s Good Cause campaign – ‘Let’s Play for Change’- focuses on children’s right to learn, develop and play, a basic right for every child under the UN Convention.

The IKEA Foundation has partnered with Handicap International, Room to Read, Save the Children, Special Olympics, UNICEF and War Child to work to create safe spaces for vulnerable children to play.

Ikea’s IWitness Global Citizens programme offers an opportunity for IKEA co-workers to witness how the Good Cause campaigns contribute to provide opportunities for children.