Air Arabia's charity programme helps 80,000 people

SHARJAH, 1st May, 2017 (WAM) -- ‘Charity Cloud’, Air Arabia’s award-winning corporate social responsibility programme, yesterday celebrated 10 years since the launch of its first project. The ‘Charity Cloud’ programme was launched by Air Arabia, in partnership with Sharjah Charity International, as an initiative for social and economic development of underprivileged communities around the world. The programme is focused on building and operating educational and healthcare projects in needy communities across the Air Arabia destination network. The programme marked its first successful project in 2007, by launching a ‘Charity Cloud Clinic’ in a remote area in Sudan. To date, ‘Charity Cloud’ has built multiple clinics and schools in various communities in the region, spreading across Sudan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Egypt. At present, the initiative’s schools operate in Sri Lanka, India, Turkey and Nepal. Construction has already begun on a two-storey school in Egypt, which aims to provide education to 400 students at primary, middle and secondary school levels. Since its inception, over 70,000 patients have received medical treatment in its clinics and, at present, over 30,000 patients are treated annually. Each ‘Charity Cloud’ school caters to some 300 students every year. In addition, the programme has launched over 70 aid-campaigns in over 12 countries across the Middle East, North Africa and Asia regions, during the past 10 years. Regarding this work, Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia, said, "Providing affordable air travel to passengers is at the core of Air Arabia’s philosophy, and we strongly believe it is equally important for us to reach out and support communities that are in need. Through our strong partnership with Sharjah Charity International, we were able to set the right foundation for sustainable educational and healthcare initiatives across many regional communities. I commend the efforts of our team for enabling ‘Charity Cloud’ to soar higher and extend my sincere appreciation to our passengers, who have supported this initiative through their generous donations." In 2014 and 2016, the programme was crowned the ‘Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative of the Year’ at one of the region’s most prestigious awards ceremony. ‘Charity Cloud’ accepts donations exclusively from passengers on board Air Arabia flights, using special envelopes that are available in their seats. http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302611367