Skywards Miles help Emirates make a big difference

In the same period - from 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020, the Foundation also donated more than AED 6.5 million (equivalent to US$1.76 million) to 22 projects in 12 countries.

The Foundation, a vital heartbeat of the airline established in 2003, routinely supports 32 projects and non-government organisations (NGOs) in 18 countries worldwide through customer donations, corporate sponsorships and Emirates funds. Support ranges from absorbing all annual running expenses and building infrastructure to running feeding and medical programmes, paying salaries and covering other ad hoc expenses.

The Foundation also appeals to Emirates’ customers to donate Skywards Miles, small change inflight, and funds on its website.

Last year, the Foundation used 132 million donated Skywards Miles to support travel for 35 NGOs on more than 50 medical missions; four NGOs on five engineering missions; and one NGO on two educational missions. The top five countries with the largest beneficiaries were: Bangladesh - more than 66,000 people; South Africa - around 7,900; Uganda - around 5,500; Tanzania - around 2,900; and Ghana - 2,000.

Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline and Chairman of the Emirates Airline Foundation said: “Emirates always looks for meaningful ways in which we can contribute to the local and global communities we serve, whether by sponsoring world-class sports and cultural events, supporting trade and tourism, or community causes. The Emirates Airline Foundation is our passion project, and we work with like-minded partners and NGOs globally who aim to reach out to the neglected, ignored, and the poorest communities on the planet”.

“Rather than just donating food to feed the hungry, the Foundation provides children with holistic care - including food, clothing, shelter, medical support and an education - that transforms lives, creates livelihoods, helps sustain communities, and leads to a fairer, more just world. And we are helping our customers connect to these communities when they donate funds or their Skywards Miles. Everyone is welcome to join us on this journey”, he added.

The Emirates Airline Foundation supported Facing the World to help children in developing countries with facial deformities

In Vietnam, contributions from Skywards Miles supported two medical missions, providing 71 flight tickets to bring doctors into Vietnam to perform surgeries and transport local surgeons to North America to receive specialised training. A total of 246 benefited from the programmes, including Vietnamese paediatric patients and doctors.

The Foundation supported Medical Education Exchange Teams (MEET UK), a non-profit organisation that supports global health education by fostering international education partnerships. The Foundation provided tickets to bring 35 paediatric specialists to the country to help perform 48 surgical procedures and provide intensive consultations and screening to 162 patients.

In addition, the Foundation also supported Facing the World, a UK registered organisation that specialises in carrying our life-saving surgeries to help children in developing countries with facial deformities. The Foundation offered flight tickets to support 36 doctors from Vietnam to travel to the USA and Canada to participate in their international training programme which trains local surgical teams to perform such specialised procedures.