Paddington’s Postcards, new UNICEF subscription model introduced in Czech Republic
The Czech branch of UNICEF has presented a new model of monthly charitable subscription, which combines support for kids around the globe and discovering other countries and cultures. It includes a personalized direct-mail campaign as well as print and fulfilment to inspire children worldwide.
Monthly subscription of 494 Czech crowns to cure five children of severe malnutrition over the course of a year and to expand the horizons of young donors’ families. That’s the new UNICEF donation model Paddington's Postcards for Children which was introduced on the 16th of September at the British Embassy in Prague by UNICEF Czech Republic Executive Director Pavla Gomba.
The ceremonial presentation was attended by a dozen pupils of Prague’s elementary school Brána jazyků who were enjoying the donor’s UNICEF gift package aimed at kids in the age of 6 – 10: Travel diary, world map, stickers and a personalized postcard from Paddington.
This charity subscription model was first launched in the UK in 2020 and introduced in numerous other countries. At first there were doubts if it would work in the Czech Republic or not. In December 2025 the project was being tested and the official start of the project took place nine months later, when UNICEF gathered over 1,000 subscribers in the Czech Republic, as well as collected 2.4 million Czech crowns in donor contributions.
UNICEF Czech Republic Executive Director Pavla Gomba was positively surprised by the growth of the project and also by Paddington’s influence on kids’ future travel desires.
“From the first day we launched it, everything worked well beyond our expectations. And now we started receiving stories from families how it grows into something bigger than just a donation or just a fun activity for children. We know that some families plan their vacation based on the favourite country where the child went with Paddington.”
Subscription is mostly undertaken by parents or grandparents. But one of the surprising results of the project for Pavla Gomba was that schools often take the initiative as well.
“We received a lot of feedback from teachers, which was surprising. We didn't target teachers in the beginning, but somehow spontaneously they said that it's such a nice program. They wanted to make it available for their classes, so they actually subscribed on behalf of their students, which is very nice.”
British Ambassador to the Czech Republic Matt Field OBE, who was enjoying the enthusiasm of pupils of Prague’s elementary school Brána jazyků going through their envelopes at the ceremony, emphasises the qualities of the campaign’s champion.
“I'm a lifelong fan of Paddington. I think like every British child, I grew up with Paddington. Paddington symbolises a lot of very positive qualities that British people care about. But this project with UNICEF brings Paddington together with a great cause, which is to help inspire young people, to open up the world to them, and to use that interest to also support UNICEF as it helps people around the world.”
For more information go to UNICEF Česká republika website: https://paddingtonovypohlednice.cz/
