Sweden

War Child Sweden is now officially registered as a Swedish fundraising foundation. The formal registration process was concluded in June 2016. A ‘90 Account’ - a bank account certified by the Swedish Fundraising Control Body - was approved in October.

Hard work by staff in both Sweden and the Netherlands over the course of the year has ensured that all necessary structures are in place to make a significant impact in the Swedish fundraising market. War Child Sweden embraces the same vision and mission of War Child Holland and aims to become acknowledged as a creative and innovative NGO in Sweden.

Several major publicity initiatives were also launched over the course of 2016 - even while the organisation was pursuing a ‘soft launch’ strategy. 'Krigsbarn' - an exhibition featuring the work of journalist Magnus Falkehed and photographer Niclas Hammarström - was held in four different cities and received significant exposure in national newspaper Aftonbladet. The exhibition highlighted the experiences of conflict-affected children in five countries and reached tens of thousands of people.

War Child Sweden made a major contribution towards this year’s IKEA Good Cause campaign - ‘Let’s Play for Change’. War Child Sweden also received valuable exposure on national TV and radio over the course of the year. Two million viewers saw Managing Director Emilia Molin talk about the organisation’s work on the popular TV show Musikhjalpen. In addition, the interview was broadcast on national public service radio.

Relationships with institutional fundraising bodies including the Swedish Postcode Lottery and Queen Silvia’s Care about the Children Foundation have also been established. Following registration, significant donations were also received from several private companies during the Christmas period.

War Child Sweden is well placed to grow significantly over the coming years.