UAE national carrier Etihad Airways has joined hands with top UAE lender National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) to launch two community outreach activities in Kenya.

The two made donations of blankets and school supplies to the Dream Children’s Home, and the Children in Freedom organisation, said a statement from Etihad Airways.

Located between Ngong and Matasia just outside Nairobi, the Dream Children’s Home was established by Rachel Gichia in 2004 to restore hope and support the basic needs of orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya, it added.

The blankets were collected through the Blankets 4 Africa initiative, which receives used airline cabin blankets, toiletry bags and bedding, and works together with The Order of Malta in Kenya, to distribute these to charities in Africa, it said.

More than 700 blankets were handed over to the orphanage during a visit to the Dream Children’s Home which was attended by Hassan Issa Al Hosani, minister plenipotentiary at the UAE Embassy in Kenya; Joan Mwaniki, Etihad Airways’ general manager, Kenya; Luzelle Boado Etihad Airways’ sustainability officer and Priscilla Chomba, Etihad Airways’ marketing coordinator in Kenya, said the statement.

Additionally, nine members of Etihad Airways’ iVolunteer initiative flew to Kenya to provide their time and skills to support the activities which included the task of painting part of the orphanage’s interior with paint donated by the British High Commission in Kenya, it added.

The Children in Freedom organisation provides free education, mentorship and support to over 40 young children in several schools in and around Nairobi that will now benefit from the donation of school supplies including literature books and writing materials, it said.

Speaking on the donation, Gichia said: “This donation represents the kindness and generosity of Etihad Airways, NBAD, the Blankets 4 Africa Initiative and The Order of Malta in Kenya. Their contribution will help in alleviating the suffering of the poor and the vulnerable in Africa.”

“The Dream Children’s Home currently looks after nearly 100 children and this generosity is highly appreciated by all,” she added.

Linden Coppell, head of sustainability at Etihad Airways, said: “As an airline we are committed to making a difference to the communities in which we operate.”

“The Dream Children’s Home and Children in Freedom organisation stand out as beacons of hope for underprivileged children in Kenya and we are pleased to be able to support these two important causes,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service