EasyJet 2015 Annual Report Download - page 42

38 easyJet plc Annual report and accounts 2015
Corporate responsibility continued
CHARITY AND COMMUNITY
easyJet remains strongly committed to engaging
with the local communities in which it operates
and harnessing the fundraising powers of its
employees and significant customer base. The
airline's fundraising activities are directed through
its 'Change for Good' partnership with Unicef, the
world's leading organisation focusing on children
and their rights.
Unicef – Our pan-European charity partner
The 'Change for Good' partnership offers easyJet customers the
opportunity to support some of the world's most vulnerable
children by donating their spare change and leftover foreign
currency whilst on board. This year the partnership added a third
standard collection period in spring 2015, in addition to the existing
summer and winter periods.
Thanks to the generosity of its passengers and efforts of its crew,
easyJet's partnership with Unicef this year reached the significant
milestone of raising £5 million since it was established in 2012 and
the overall total has now exceeded £6 million. The funds have
primarily supported Unicef's vaccination work to keep children safe
from deadly diseases, with a recent focus on supporting the global
eradication of polio. The partnership has also supported Unicef's
urgent appeals for children in danger from emergencies.
To build on this success, easyJet and Unicef have agreed to
continue the partnership for a further three years, with the aim
of raising a further £5 million.
This decision was the subject of a structured review process which
also considered the option to move to another charity partner. The
decision was made to renew the Unicef partnership for a further
three years, reflecting the strong, successful existing partnership
and Unicef's international recognition across all easyJet markets.
The two organisations will work together to further increase the
fundraising for Unicef, the engagement of easyJet's employees,
and the profile of the charity partnership across Europe.
This year the partnership raised over £1.2 million through the
regular on-board collections and a further £1.2 million through
emergency appeals. The total funds raised through the
partnership, including corporate donations and other fundraising
activities, were £2.5 million this year.
In addition to fundraising for Unicef, easyJet has also helped to
raise awareness of the charity and its work for children. Examples
include an easyJet aircraft that has a special 'Change for Good'
Unicef livery, featuring Unicef in the inflight magazine 'Traveller',
and making announcements about Unicef's work on-board
flights during collection periods.
easyJet's Chief Executive, Carolyn McCall, is a member of the
Advisory Board for Unicef UK's Children in Danger campaign that
aims to raise funds and awareness for the millions of children in
danger from violence, war, disaster, disease and hunger.
easyJet people see Unicef's work
In March 2015 five easyJet people visited the Gambia to witness
first-hand how Unicef is helping to keep children safe from polio.
easyJet cabin crew member James Baron took part in the
trip and said:
“ This experience brought home to
me how important partnerships like
Unicef and easyJet's are. The funds
raised by easyJet crew continue to
help support efforts to eradicate polio
from the world by 2019. No mean
feat, but one that is within reaching
distance, if the funding continues.
easyJet and Unicef's Change for
Good partnership is crucial to enable
this to happen. I am proud to be a
part of the on-board crew working to
raise these funds; we must realise our
goal of global eradication of polio
and protect every child in danger.”
©Unicef/mcconnell/thegambia
Emergency appeals with Unicef
This year easyJet and Unicef worked quickly and effectively
together to launch three special collections in response to
international emergencies. easyJet also made a corporate donation
to start each appeal, totalling £40,000 over the three appeals.
• Ebola, November/December 2014 – The two-week on-board
collection raised over £200,000, including aid match funding
for Unicef from the UK Government. This helped Unicef's
overall response which provided psychological care and
support for more than 52,000 children, supplied over 500,000
ebola protection suits, and distributed hygiene kits for almost
four million schoolchildren.
• Nepal earthquake, April/May 2015 – The four-week on-board
collection, established within 48 hours of the earthquake,
raised over £660,000. This helped Unicef's overall response
which supplied more than 650,000 people with clean, safe
water, delivered school supplies for over 200,000 children,
and provided psychological care for more than 85,000
children and parents.
“ Our partnership with easyJet has already achieved
so much in the past three years, helping to
vaccinate 5.3 million mothers and babies against
deadly diseases, helping to keep 2 million children
safe from polio and now purchasing approximately
4 million doses of polio vaccines to protect even
more children. easyJet and their passengers have
also provided vital support for Unicef's emergency
work reaching children and families affected by
the crisis in Syria and the surrounding region,
Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, the Ebola crisis,
and the Nepal earthquakes earlier this year.
We're incredibly proud to have renewed our
partnership with easyJet for another three years,
and remain hugely grateful to easyJet and their
passengers who are together making a real and
tangible difference to the lives of millions of
children around the world.”
– David Bull, Unicef UK Executive Director
James Baron,
easyJet cabin crew member