Emirates Brings Smiles To Children In India

Emirates Supports India’s Education Efforts

Education acts as a vital driver of societal progress, providing a solid base for economic empowerment. To aid India’s efforts in ensuring education is accessible to all children, Emirates has contributed crucial supplies and exclusive, handcrafted backpacks from its ‘Aircrafted by Emirates’ collection to a non-profit organization in India. 

India is reforming its education system by enhancing infrastructure and resources to ensure equal opportunities for children nationwide. To aid their initiative of expanding educational access for underprivileged children, Emirates supported Smile Foundation students by donating 400 practical and stylish backpacks, each equipped with stationery and learning materials.

The organization was intentionally chosen for its role in fostering a supportive and motivational environment for disadvantaged youth to pursue their education safely. With a rich history of empowering young individuals, the institute emphasizes education as a key focus. This initiative strengthens the airline's dedication to 'connecting communities' by cultivating lasting relationships and positively impacting the places it serves. 

Mohammad Sarhan, Vice President Emirates for India, said: “Education is a fundamental right. In line with our support for UN Sustainable Development Goal number 4, focused on quality education, we are dedicated to ensuring that children, regardless of their circumstances, have access to the resources needed to learn and create an equitable future for themselves.”

"We are pleased to partner with Smile Foundation, that has been working for over two decades to ensure underprivileged children have the opportunity to progress, setting them on the path for a brighter, more productive tomorrow. The bags from the Aircrafted KIDS collection will support their mission as they are uniquely made and filled with stationery, books, and hygiene items to assist children in their daily tasks and learning. We are proud to share these bags, which are upcycled from materials from our aircraft. They connect children to Emirates' history while demonstrating a sustainable use of resources."

Santanu Mishra, Co-founder & Executive Trustee of Smile Foundation remarked, “Education of children is the key to a future full of potential and is instrumental in nation-building too. I firmly believe in the philosophy of civic-driven change, wherein responsible organizations and members of the civil society complement the governmental efforts. We appreciate Emirates for encouraging our children and our initiatives.”

Smile Foundation selected specific bags from the ‘Aircrafted by Emirates’ collection, catering to children of various ages. Emirates Engineering then handcrafted the backpacks using materials repurposed from the airline’s iconic A380 and B777 aircraft that were refurbished.

Alongside the bags, Emirates supplied school and hygiene necessities like pens, pencils, erasers, calculators, notebooks, sanitizers, soaps, and other sanitary items. The airline also procured books that offer a mix of culturally rich narratives and interactive learning experiences. Students can exchange and discuss these books, enhancing their content comprehension.

Through the Aircrafted program, over 50,000 kg of materials from 191 aircraft set for the airline's interior cabin retrofitting are anticipated to be salvaged and repurposed. Besides the contributions in India, Emirates supplied organizations in Bangladesh and Pakistan with bags, resulting in a total of 700 donations across Asia, following the 1,239 donations made in Africa in recent months.