Corporate Partners of UNICEF: ING Bulgaria

In July 2025, ING Bank – Bulgaria joined UNICEF’s corporate partners to support the expansion of the UpShift programme across the country. 

UNICEF’s UpShift programme is a youth innovation initiative that empowers children and adolescents aged 13 to 19 to develop essential 21st-century skills. UpShift encourages critical and entrepreneurial thinking, guiding young people to identify and create innovative solutions to challenges within their communities. The programme equips youth with key competencies such as problem-solving, creativity, teamwork, empathy, leadership, and communication skills, inspiring them to become innovators and social entrepreneurs. 

Participants engage in youth workshops, receive mentorship, and are provided with seed funding to launch their own projects. The programme benefits not only young people but also their communities and the business sector. UpShift helps develop skills and competencies that support successful integration into the labor market. 

Thanks to the partnership between UNICEF and ING Bank – Bulgaria, the programme will reach thousands of young people across the country. They will have the opportunity to take part in creating socially impactful projects and initiatives that reflect their ideas and aspirations. 

Since the launch of UpShift in Bulgaria in 2024, more than 100 youth workers, educational mediators, and other professionals have been trained. Three youth workshops have been held with over 100 participants aged 14–18, and 13 youth-led initiatives have been supported. 

"The UpShift program is key to the development of young people in Bulgaria, as it supports and inspires them to develop the necessary skills and confidence in a dynamic and challenging environment. For me and our entire team at ING Bank – Bulgaria, it is an honor to support this initiative, because we believe in the potential of young people to create innovative solutions and contribute to the development of their communities. UpShift is an initiative through which we can invest together in Bulgaria’s future by supporting education, social inclusion, and the professional realization of young people." - Marina Kobakova, Chief Executive Officer, ING Bank – Bulgaria 

Corporate Donation 

In the period June 2025 and December 2026, ING Bulgaria will donate nearly BGN 200,000 in support of UNICEF’s initiatives.