Supporting children’s education and making meaningful connections within the communities it serves, Emirates has engaged with 6 entities across Africa to provide more than 1,300 handmade schoolbags and essential stationary supplies to young students. Each schoolbag is a piece of history – a limited-edition bag from Emirates’ Aircrafted range, made from the fabrics and parts of Emirates’ iconic aircraft. The distribution across Africa kickstarts a larger initiative by Emirates to repurpose and upcycle materials for the benefit of children across the globe.

In Zimbabwe, Emirates collaborated with St Marcellin’s Children’s Village Trust and Rose of Sharon, two not-for-profit entities that care for vulnerable children, and provide a nurturing and inspirational space for children’s education. In Zambia, Emirates partnered with the Kucetekela Foundation, supporting academically promising, financially disadvantaged children, and the Alliance for Children Everywhere (ACE) Zambia, protecting families and vulnerable children and strengthening communities through economic empowerment and education. In Ethiopia, Emirates worked with Bravehearts Ethiopia, an NGO devoted to empowering vulnerable children with a focus on quality education, and also with Roots Ethiopia, which focuses on supporting several aspects of children’s education, specifically in rural areas. Through the Emirates Airline Foundation, Emirates has a long history of supporting children’s welfare programmes, and Aircrafted Kids is an extension of this work.