Emirates has launched an initiative called ‘Aircrafted Kids’ to support children’s education across Africa. In Zimbabwe, the airline collaborated with St Marcellin’s Children’s Village Trust and Rose of Sharon to assist vulnerable children. In Zambia, Emirates partnered with the Kucetekela Foundation and the Alliance for Children Everywhere (ACE) Zambia. In Ethiopia, they worked with Bravehearts Ethiopia and Roots Ethiopia. These organizations focus on providing educational opportunities and community support.
Emirates’ local offices in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Ethiopia facilitated the distribution of school supplies, including stationary, calculators, and books from local authors. “The next stops on the Aircrafted Kids schoolbags trail are India, Pakistan and Bangladesh,” according to Emirates.
As part of their environmental strategy, Emirates is repurposing over 50,000 kilograms of materials from aircraft undergoing cabin refits. This material is used to create sturdy backpacks for children. The Emirates Engineering team designed these backpacks using high-quality seat fabric that is both durable and non-flammable.
A team at Emirates tailored a range of backpacks suitable for different ages while ensuring safety and comfort. The fabrics were laundered, cleaned by hand, leather-conditioned for accents, disinfected thoroughly before being sewn into unique pieces with new linings added along with functional zippers and adjustable straps.
Transport logistics were supported by Emirates’ SkyCargo teams and dnata Logistics to ensure the delivery of these schoolbags to their destinations. “Aircrafted Kids by Emirates connected the community of employees within Emirates to achieve a meaningful goal.”
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