Emirates Airline Foundation
Funding towards projects is made possible by the generous donations made onboard or online by Emirates customers, the airline said. Image Credit: Emirates

Dubai: Dubai’s flagship airline, Emirates, has rolled out a new Airbus A380 livery dedicated to raising awareness of the airline’s humanitarian work.

The A380 livery features a design inspired by the Emirates Airline Foundation's logo. It showcases children's artwork with pastel stars in light green, orange, blue, and pink across the fuselage.

The message—Help to support children in need—reflects the Foundation’s mission. All four engine cowls of the aircraft have been painted in warm orange hues. On Monday, the aircraft heads to Johannesburg, South Africa, where the Foundation supports two important projects.

Operating under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, the Emirates Airline Foundation is a non-profit charity organisation that provides humanitarian and philanthropic aid and essential services for children.

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Over the past twenty years, Emirates Airline Foundation's work has supported over 50 education, food, clean water, housing, and healthcare projects in 12 countries.

The airline said it has partnered with several community-based organisations and NGOs to deepen their work and serve children's critical developmental needs for safe housing, food and medical care, and empowerment through education and capacity development, irrespective of geography, background, political associations or religion.

“Funding towards projects is made possible by the generous donations made onboard or online by Emirates customers, donors and employees,” it said.

The projects supported by the Foundation have mainly been focused on Emirates’ destinations, where the airline’s employee volunteers can actively donate their time and oversee their management.

NGOs supported by Emirates 

The Emirates Airline Foundation currently supports 14 NGOs in 9 countries. Key projects include the Emirates-CHES Home in India, which provides a haven for 100 HIV-positive children, and the IMMPACT Girls Education Project in rural India, which educated 5,000 girls last year and trained nearly 1,500 teachers.

In Sri Lanka, Prithipura Communities supports 240 children and young adults with disabilities through specialised care and vocational training. In the Philippines, the Virlanie Foundation helps abandoned and orphaned children, while in Bangladesh, the Foundation has supported the Emirates Friendship Hospital, providing healthcare to over 650,000 people.

In Kenya, the Foundation supports three organisations. The Little Prince Nursery and Primary School offers holistic education and a meal program, while Alfajiri Street Kids provides art therapy and safe spaces for over 200 children. Starehe Boys’ Centre offers academic support for underprivileged boys, including scholarships for ten students.

The Foundation focuses on holistic education and medical care in South Africa and Zimbabwe. And in Brazil, the Saint Rita de Cassia Orphanage in Rio de Janeiro houses 96 orphaned girls and provides shelter and education, while Externato Sao Francisco de Assis supports underprivileged children, often from single-parent families.

At its home base in Dubai, the Foundation supports the SAFE Centre for Autism, offering a safe environment for children with complex learning difficulties.

Last year, the Foundation also provided over 500 flight tickets to volunteers on medical and educational missions. These missions included surgeries for children in India, Uganda, Lebanon, and Zimbabwe and orthopaedics and wound management training in Ethiopia.

The Emirates Airline Foundation is regulated by the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai (IACAD) and licensed by the Government of Dubai.