The LEGO Foundation has announced a $150 million commitment in support of children and families across the world affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The commitment includes $70 million to UNICEF to boost access to vaccines and health supplies in vulnerable communities around the world and $80 million in support of the foundation's partners working with children to accelerate ongoing COVID-19 recovery, including BRAC. According to the foundation, while children's "lost learning" — due to school closures, lack of access to learning opportunities, and COVID-19 restrictions — has been widely reported, the full scale of the impact remains largely unknown. The commitment was announced during a recent Global Citizen Live event and is in addition to a $50 million commitment announced in March 2020.

"We are at a transformational moment for educational systems everywhere. This donation builds on the LEGO Foundation's core values of finding creative solutions to the difficult challenges, caring for children and the communities they live in, and the power of collaboration to address the challenges, and opportunities, posed by the COVID-19 pandemic," said LEGO Foundation CEO Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen. "Together we need to make a leap in playful learning, creating a future that promotes inclusive education, lifelong learning opportunities for all children, and where holistic skills and innovation are central. We call on the private sector, philanthropic organizations, governments, and other donors to donate generously to the global COVID-19 response. No one is safe until everyone is safe."

"The COVID-19 pandemic has put a heavy toll on children, especially the most vulnerable ones. It kept them away from their schools and their friends, forced them into labor and child marriage, and pushed their families deeper into poverty," said UNICEF executive director Henrietta Fore. "This is a global crisis, and it calls for action from all of us: governments, international organizations, businesses, and individuals. We thank the LEGO Foundation for its generous contribution. By helping us provide critical vaccines to those who need them the most, this donation puts us one step closer to achieving vaccine equity and getting our lives — and our economies — back on track."

(Photo credit: Gettyimages)