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Global program for Education

Project time period

20172021

Children who experience love, proper nutrition and protection in a stimulating environment during early childhood become resilient, learn effectively and can help build strong, safe communities and economies when they reach adulthood. Together with UNICEF, the H&M Foundation ran a global program over six years to invest in a better future for the most vulnerable children through early education and care. A total of 288,000 young children, parents, teachers, and other relevant influencers did directly benefit from the programme.

Children’s brains are developing rapidly at a very young age and if they are in a positive and stimulating environment during this sensitive time, their ability to succeed and achieve later in life increases significantly. Early Childhood Development is one of the most impactful ways to give children the best start in life. However, many children still don’t receive this support in their early years.

A mother from an ethnic minority plays with her young child at her home in the Pleiku province in the central highlands of Vietnam.

In Phase 1 of the Global Program with UNICEF (2014-2017), we reached over 100,000 children in poor communities with Early Childhood Development programs, and influenced governments to place Early Childhood Development on their national agendas. The second phase aimed to improve the lives of young children, their families and communities, reaching an additional 188,000. UNICEF worked holistically with parents, caregivers, teachers, governments, politicians and influencers to increase awareness and enable change to happen. A tool was also be developed, to measure the wider impact Early Childhood Development services has on conflict and post-conflict societies.


Program Specifics

  • Period: 20172021
  • Project Status: Completed
  • Countries: Egypt, Mali, Timor-Leste and Vietnam
  • Focus Areas: Education
  • Partners: UNICEF
  • Donation: 60 million Swedish krona
  • Countries were the program took place: Egypt, Vietnam, Mali and Timor-Leste
  • Number of people reached: 145,000
  • Program period: 2017-2021
  • Partner: UNICEF

Results from phase 1:
Here you can download the report from phase 1 of this project, taking place 2014-2016.