WORKING MAMAS 2022
Global Competition launched in the
LEGO brand's 90th year! by Lee- Yandra Paulsen
Denmark, Billund, February 2022LEGO has announced a USD 143 million global challenge to fund innovative early childhood solutions. It will address what Anna- Birgitte Albrectsen, CEO of The LEGO Foundation, calls a "global early childhood emergency." Characterized by a lack of access to education, health care, and other basic needs, exacerbated by the global pandemic. A new initiative launched by The LEGO Foundation called the 'Build A World of Play Challenge' will allow any organization that can positively impact the youngest children around the world to bid for a share of the USD 143 million grant. The amount is equivalent to 900 million Danish Kroner, reaffirming the LEGO Foundation’s commitment in the LEGO® brand’s 90th year to ensure children globally are allowed opportunities to learn through play. It will support their early learning and the development of holistic skills, ensuring children everywhere thrive and reach their full potential in life. “All children have the right to feel safe and access quality education and healthcare. But to date, early childhood development has been not just under-recognized, but grossly underfunded” said Thomas Kirk Kristiansen, Chair of the Board of Directors
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at The LEGO Foundation, and the fourth generation of the LEGO owner family. Grants will be awarded to those researching evidence-based innovative solutions to today's most pressing issues, including access to high-quality early childhood education and care, adequate nutrition, the elimination of toxic stress in homes and communities, the reduction of violence in homes and communities, pollution prevention, and supporting the social and emotional well-being of the entire family. The solutions should make a significant difference in the lives of children aged 0 to 6 years old and create a global movement to prioritize early childhood development. In the 90th year of the LEGO® brand, LEGO®is investing more money in early childhood development than ever before. 167 million children in 196 countries lost access to early childhood care and education between March 2020 and February 2021. Pre-primary students, who account for 120 million children, were the least likely to have access to remote learning. Between 2018 and 2020, an average of 290,000 to 340,000 children were born refugees each year, resulting in roughly a million children being born as refugees. CEO of LEGO Foundation Anne-Birgitte Al-
