Six members of Aer Lingus cabin crew have touched down in Ireland following a week-long visit to Zambia, where they witnessed at first hand, the incredible work carried out by UNICEF. In 2011, Aer Lingus passengers and crew raised over €1,000,000 for UNICEF Ireland through their Change for Good™ partnership with the international children’s organisation.
Change for Good™ is a special partnership between UNICEF and several major airline carriers across the world including Aer Lingus is one of UNICEF's best-known and longest-running partnerships. The alliance is designed to collect unused currency from passengers and convert their spare coins and notes into life-saving materials and services for vulnerable children around the world.
2012 marks the fifteenth anniversary year of Aer Lingus’ partnership with UNICEF Ireland, which has raised over US$15 million to date for UNICEF programmes for children across the world.
During their time in Zambia, the Aer Lingus cabin crew were able to see for themselves exactly what their fundraising was achieving for the children of Zambia. The team also gained a far greater understanding of UNICEF’s work, and of the child survival issues that are still causing the preventable deaths of more than 200 children under-5 every day in the country.
During the week-long visit, the six Aer Lingus Ambassadors for Change for Good™ visited a wide variety of UNICEF programmes including a rural primary school, a HIV/AIDS Project, a community-led sanitation project, a social cash transfer project and a climate change programme.
Eleven years ago, Liz Mangan was one of the Aer Lingus cabin crew that visited Zambia during a visit to highlight the Change for Good™ partnership in 2001. Speaking about her return visit in February 2012, Liz said:
“I was so heartened to see the progress made by the hard work of all involved in UNICEF’s work in Zambia and I’m very proud of the Aer Lingus partnership as real lives are being saved, transformed and given hope. Zambians are wonderful people; dignified in their adversity and community spirited. Most of all, they are so grateful for the help they are receiving and working hard to use it to empower themselves.”
Poverty is widespread throughout Zambia with 64 per cent of the total population living below the poverty line, rising to 80 per cent in some rural areas. Throughout the week there, the Aer Lingus team saw first-hand what it really means for a family not to have enough income to meet their daily food needs and how the HIV and AIDS pandemic has hit an already vulnerable population the hardest – leaving over 1.2 million children throughout the country orphaned and vulnerable.
One of the stops on the trip was a visit to the University Teaching Hospital, home to Zambia’s largest therapeutic feeding centre for malnourished children. Malnutrition rates among children under five years of age in Zambia remain very high with nearly 50 per cent of children suffering from stunted growth due to poor nutrition.
In the hospital, the Aer Lingus team met with young children and their families who are currently patients on the 65 bed ward and learnt more about how UNICEF is working to reduce the number of children that die as a result of malnutrition in Zambia. Malnutrition is associated with over one third of child deaths under five and UNICEF provides the hospitals with special therapeutic foods and the hospital staff with further training on treating malnourished children.
Speaking about the partnership, Peter Power, UNICEF Ireland's Executive Director said:
“2012 marks the fifteenth anniversary of this extraordinary partnership that has raised over US$15 million for UNICEF’s work for children around the world. This is due to the commitment of Aer Lingus management and staff to Change for Good™ since 2007 as well as the unstinting generosity of Aer Lingus passengers for our cause. Together we are changing the world for children. In particular, I would like to acknowledge and thank the six Aer Lingus Ambassadors for our Change for Good™ partnership for making the trip to Zambia. We are grateful that they have taken the time to champion UNICEF’s work and see for themselves how their support is making such a difference to children’s lives.”
Commenting on the partnership, Aer Lingus Director of Communications, Declan Kearney said;
“Aer Lingus is proud of its partnership with UNICEF Ireland and the success of the Change for Good™ campaign over the last fifteen years. Its success would not be possible but for the ongoing generosity of our passengers and the commitment and dedication of Aer Lingus employees, in particular our cabin crew. We are delighted our cabin crew ambassadors had the opportunity to see first hand some of the projects benefiting from the monies being raised on board Aer Lingus flights.”
About Change for Good™
Change for Good™ is the UNICEF in-flight collection of unused foreign notes and coins that helps save the lives of children around the world. In 2012, UNICEF Ireland and Aer Lingus are celebrating the 15th anniversary of this remarkable partnership that has raised nearly €12 million (US$15 million) for UNICEF‘s work for children in over 150 countries & territories across the world.
Every day, Change for Good™ collections take place on-board Aer Lingus transatlantic flights but in times of crisis, special Change for Good™ collections also take place on all Aer Lingus flights for UNICEF’s emergency fund.
Last summer, a special collection on-board all Aer Lingus flights raised over €225,000 for UNICEF’s Emergency Appeal for the children of East Africa. Money donated by Aer Lingus passengers helped UNICEF reach and save the lives of many children suffering from malnutrition caused by the on-going famine in parts of Somalia and Kenya.
UNICEF Ireland also unveiled a brand new Change for Good™ video for Aer Lingus transatlantic flights in December 2011 to coincide with the anniversary. Presented by UNICEF Ireland Ambassador, Rory McIlroy, the video shows how Aer Lingus passengers are making a difference to children’s lives across the world.
For reference:
Julianne Savage, UNICEF Ireland. julianne@unicef.ie