easyJet launches emergency appeal with UNICEF in aid of the children of Syria

The emergency appeal, which launches on all easyJet flights from today, is part of easyJet and UNICEF's 'Change for Good' partnership. The onboard donations from passengers will be collected on 43,822 flights during the six-week campaign across the airline's pan-European network of over 600 routes across more than 30 countries.

The number of refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict is expected to grow, reaching over 1 million, half of which are children. All of the money raised through passenger donations will help provide essential clothes, blankets and life-saving healthcare to the hundreds of thousands of children struggling to survive extreme winter temperatures in the refugee camps which surround the country.

Money collected onboard will also give those children who have had to flee their homes and are currently living in the camps, the chance to get back to school to continue their education. This will help those traumatised by the conflict to deal with the events they have seen and experienced.

Passengers can donate by putting their spare change or notes of any currency into 'Change for Good' pouches on any of easyJet's flights during the appeal.

• Just €1 could provide a child with a hat and pair of gloves to protect them from sub-zero temperatures

• Just €2 could provide a child with a school bag (exercise book, pen, pencil, eraser, colouring pencils etc) for school.

• Just €3 could buy a blanket to keep a baby warm when they sleep at night in the freezing cold

Carolyn McCall, easyJet's Chief Executive said: "easyJet is in a very strong position to make a real difference to the lives of so many children in Syria with our emergency onboard appeal. We are really proud to be supporting one of the most well-known and well respected children's organisations in the world - UNICEF, and everyone from pilots, cabin crew and engineers work hard to ensure its success. We are sure that our passengers will really get behind this worthy initiative."
 
David Bull, UNICEF Executive Director said: "We have all been shivering from the bitter winter weather over the past few weeks, but for those children who have had to flee the fighting in Syria and are now living in refugee camps, the cold is a matter of life and death. They urgently need our help to make it through the coldest winter for ten years.
 
"Since the launch of the 'Change for Good' partnership, easyJet passengers have already shown tremendous generosity. Let's hope they can do it again so we can keep the innocent children caught up in the Syrian conflict warm, safe and healthy in a time of desperate need."
 
The Syria children's emergency collection will run from 1 February until 15 March. The collection forms part of the wider 'Change for Good' partnership between easyJet and UNICEF, which has raised over £1million through passenger donations for UNICEF's life-saving work for children since July 2012.
 
easyJet is committed to playing its part to help, and will be providing a number of seats on flights to Jordan to help UNICEF staff and experts to reach the region who are helping to coordinate efforts to deal with the humanitarian impact of this emergency.