May 21 is the birthday of Pippi Longstocking, the strongest girl in the world, who first appeared in 1945 in a novel by the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren.

On the occasion of this important date, the Astrid Lindgren Company and Save the Children invite to support Pippi of Today, the campaign born in January 2020 from their collaboration to help girls fleeing wars and poverty.

Astrid Lindgren created the extraordinary character of Pippi Longstocking immediately after the end of the Second World War, in a dramatic context with millions of migrants forced to leave their homes and move to new cities and new countries. Today there are more displaced people than ever and half of them are children. Girls represent the most vulnerable group. They must muster all their strength and courage to face difficult challenges and find the way to a better future. Pippi is a role model that inspires them to have hope.

Launched early last year, the global Pippi of Today campaign saw the participation of over 50 partners from around the world. In Italy, ETS Licensing promotes the initiative in collaboration with national partners, including Salani, Multprint and ottod’Ame.

Despite the problems caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the campaign has achieved important results. In 2020, approximately 1.1 million euros were raised and the goal is to reach 2.5 million by December 2021, when the campaign will end.

Through the resources obtained so far, Save the Children has been able to support thousands of migrant girls by activating important support initiatives.
In the refugee camps of Za’atari and Azraq in Jordan, nearly 2,000 girls have had access to psychosocial support and been included in structured play and learning activities. In Tanzania, the Pippi of Today funds are promoting a child protection program in three host communities in the Kigoma region. In Ukraine, Save the Children runs a project for displaced children with disabilities to guarantee them better access to education. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, one of the main transit countries on the Balkan migration route to Europe, the goal is to guarantee support and protection for girls in two temporary shelters. In the Netherlands, the Pippi of Today funds allow displaced children to participate in support programs where they learn to manage difficult emotions through play and sport.

So let’s join in the celebrations for Pippi’s birthday and support Save the Children’s initiatives to help girls on the move by purchasing the exclusive bracelet or another personalized product on the relative section of the Pippi of Today website.

To know how the funds raised were used read the Report.
More info on the Pippi of Today Campaign on the dedicated website