Cairo, April 2016. In cooperation with Marwa Fayed’s Toy Run NGO, IKEA Egypt hosted the children of Qafelat Al Kheir orphanage for a fun-filled day with Muppet show animations, magic tricks, balloons and face paintings, while IKEA team was secretly painting and doing a total makeover to their playroom at the orphanage to surprise them upon their return.
“We truly enjoyed the children’s company and were touched to see how happy they were”, said Ahmed Gomaa Customer Service Manager. “The day was full with fun and joy and we are pleased we were able to brighten their day”, he added.
Children were invited, clueless of what awaits them back home. After spending a full day of entertaining activities at IKEA, they returned to discover the surprise, as the IKEA team was waiting to show them their new refurbished playroom turned into a lively and colorful play area.
IKEA employees and designers spent weeks secretly preparing for the surprise, giving a delightful appearance to the room with the lively paint, in addition to new children dining table suitable for their age, white board for their studies, playroom furniture like sofas and storage items, and of course lots of toys.
“We would like to thank IKEA for their efforts, heartfelt donation and for supporting my children, which brought happiness and pleasure to their hearts” said Layla Reda Qafelat Al Kheir manager.
IKEA believes that children have the right to play. It is important for their development both mentally and psychologically. Providing a safe environment is a great consideration for IKEA when designing children’s’ furniture, which is why they decided to create the new playroom.
