LOS ANGELES, April 29, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- Children have played "house" for hundreds of years. The game is simple: youngsters create social situations and then imitate the behavior of each person involved. Playing house is not only a lot of fun, but it is also a healthy way to help children understand cultural roles and dynamics. Now, with the help of a unique toy company, playing house is more socially responsible than ever. Instead of just playing "house," today's children are playing "world."

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080429/AQTU085)

Karito Kids(R) World Collection is an award-winning new line of ethnically authentic international dolls and books, designed to empower kids to become globally aware and participate in helping other children around the world. Parent company KidsGive believes that children are naturally charitable and only need to be given the opportunity. They approach this goal through a methodology that can be summed up quite simply as "the more you play, the more you give."

Kids need no instructions to teach them how to play house. Playing "world" is a little different, so KidsGive has created a simple yet effective way to help teach children that every purchase helps another child. When a child gets their first doll, book or accessory, they receive a special code and are invited to "activate" it on the Karito Kids website, www.karitokids.com. Next, the child can read about four charitable causes that KidsGive supports through Plan USA, a children's focused charity that delivers an impressive 80% of all funds directly to programs. After learning what life is like for children in other parts of the world, they can choose the cause they want to support. KidsGive donates 3 percent of the retail price of all products to Plan USA.

KidsGive's belief that children and their parents would readily jump at the opportunity to learn more about and help other children in other parts of the world proved right. The company was thrilled at the support and reaction it received to its philosophy and line of products in its debut year.

Over the last eight months, kids have directed donations to help other kids around the world in four causes that mean the most to them: Health, Food, Homes or School. This is done with a simple click of the button after purchasing any Karito Kids product or by playing games online at www.karitokids.com. Here's how the "G" generation (the "G" is for giving!) has already made a difference in just eight months of sales since the company launched in July 2007, with the help of KidsGive:

38% of children who "voted" on their favorite cause through the Karito Kids website directed funds to aid the "Health Project" in Kenya. This money can now buy 15,720 mosquito nets helping children in 357 remote villages.

24% of children directed funds to aid the "Food Project" in China. This has helped children in 13 rural schools which can now purchase 4630 chickens and the eggs they produce for food.

23% of children directed funds to aid the "Homes Project" in Honduras.
This can help families live in enclosed homes by building 12 mason homes to be clean, safe and healthy.

15% of children directed funds to aid the "School Project" in Mali. This can now purchase 1,925 textbooks for 976 kids in Mali.

When they're young, children are just beginning to learn to do the right thing just because it's the right thing. There's no better way to reinforce the importance of charitable giving than by receiving feedback from the kids who have been helped by the KidsGive donations. Here is a quote from a child who benefited around the world.

"Everyday my classmates and I can choose different kinds of nutritious food now for breakfast like milk and eggs. In the past, there wasn't a lot of food supplied in the kitchen besides bread. I remembered that I used to feel hungry and tired by third and fourth class in the morning, but now, I do not feel hungry and sleepy anymore. I think it is because of eating nutritious food for breakfast."

-- Excerpt from one child in Run Zhen Center Primary School who benefited from donations to the Food Cause.

American children really enjoy the feeling of helping, and they get the concept that Karito Kids are so much more than just a doll: "Having a Karito Kid is not like having just a doll," said Mia, a Pita fan from Arizona. "She is a whole other story. With a doll like Pita, I learn a little bit about Mexico, I got to read a chapter book, and I get to help kids keep their homes safe. Helping kids around the world have safe homes is a dream come true."

KidsGive's concept of playing "world" with its dolls and books is redefining corporate social responsibility. Its interesting and unique concept has empowered children by directly bringing them into the process of giving to, and understanding the development of, children's humanitarian projects around the world. That's a game worth playing by anyone's standards.

About KidsGive

KidsGive is the manufacturer of the new line of dolls and books that is redefining corporate social responsibility. How? By developing an interesting and unique concept that directly brings the child into the actual process of giving to, and understanding the development of children's humanitarian projects around the world. By allowing the child to direct 3 percent of the retail price of all Karito Kids(R) products to help another child with either food, health, home or school through children's charity Plan USA. KidsGive's goal is to teach a generation of children what charitable giving really means.

The Karito Kids World Collection launched in summer 2007 with five doll and book sets:

-- Zoe and book, "The Manhattan Menace"
-- Wan Ling and book, "Shanghai Secret"
-- Lulu and book, "Nairobi Nightmare"
-- Pita and book, "Mexico Mystery"
-- Gia and book, "Florence Fiasco"
-- A sixth doll, Piper from Australia and her book, "Sydney Scandal," joins the collection in 2008.

Karito ['ka-ree'-toe] noun.

Etymology: from the constructed international language, Esperanto, a universal second language created to foster peace and international understanding.

1: charity, 2: love of one's neighbor

See http://www.karitokids.com to learn more about the company's products and online games, or visit http://www.kidsgive.com to learn more about the company and its charitable mission.

About Plan USA

Celebrating its 70-year anniversary in 2007, Plan is a global non-profit, humanitarian organization that strives to achieve lasting improvements in the quality of life of deprived children in developing countries by cultivating self-reliance and uniting people across cultures. The organization, headquartered in Warwick, Rhode Island, enables deprived children, their families, and their communities to meet their basic needs and to increase their ability to participate in and benefit from their societies, fostering relationships to increase understanding and unity among people of different cultures and countries, and promoting children's rights and the interests of the world's children.

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