Alexandria the ambassador

WARRINGTON’S Alexandria Bickerstaff-Kane is one of four IKEA employees who has flown out to Vietnam to witness first hand the great work funded by the store’s Soft Toy campaign.
Since 2003, IKEA has donated €23.7million to Save the Children and UNICEF and Alexandria will be visiting the projects benefiting from this money.
Alexandria was chosen, along with three other co-workers, to become a Sustainability Ambassador, a role that will see her visit projects in Vietnam benefiting from the
money raised by IKEA. On her return Alexandria’s role will be to communicate the problems facing children, their families and communities in Vietnam and the difference that the money raised by IKEA is making. On their return the group will feedback to colleagues in the UK and Ireland their experiences, to motivate their peers and bring the Soft Toy campaign to life.
The application process asked employees in both the UK and Ireland why they thought they deserved to be a Sustainability Ambassador.
IKEA organised the trip to inspire Alexandria and her fellow co-workers to promote the Soft Toy campaign and the work the IKEA Social Initiative is funding around the world. All children have the right to an education, yet for certain minority groups, language or having to work can be a barrier to learning. UNICEF and Save the Children are working together to put this right and the group will visit projects that tackle these issues in the northern regions of Vietnam.
Alexandria said: “I studied Social Anthropology at university, so I learnt all about other cultures, globalisation and fair trade, I can’t wait to see aspects of what I learnt in action on this trip. I feel over the moon to be selected to take part in such an exciting and forward thinking trip. I think I’ll find it really insightful to see how the money raised by the campaign is spent and will enjoy sharing the experience with my fellow co-workers on my return.”
For every soft toy an IKEA customer buys between October 25 and December 24, IKEA Social Initiative will donate €1 to UNICEF and Save the Children to support the education of the most disadvantaged children.
Since the start of the campaign the proceeds of which have helped improve the lives of more than eight million children in Asia, Africa and Central and Eastern Europe.