In a bid to carry out its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in a more structured and organized manner, Ethiopian Airlines established the Ethiopian Airlines Foundation (EAF).
The foundation is registered and licensed by the Charities and Societies Agency on the 27th of January, 2016. Established with the main objective of being a charitable endowment, the EAF will serve the Airline as a charity arm where it can implement its CSR in a more structured and organized manner. In a written response to The Reporter Ethiopian Airlines said the EAF creates conducive environment where the support from the airline to the community will be more integrated.
Ethiopian said the overall objective of the program is to increase and improve its contribution to the national development of Ethiopia through interventions that can further advance achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in areas such as eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education by 2015 EC, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, and ensuring environmental sustainability.
“To this effect, the program aims to provide grant support to beneficiary civil society organizations to strengthen their resource capacities, accountability and sustainability of operations, and hence, to increase their participation and contribution in key areas of socioeconomic development,” the Airline said.
The Ethiopian Airlines Foundation is registered officially as new charity organization under the umbrella of the Airline. According to Ethiopian, the fact that the Foundation has been registered and received license is a big opportunity to help a wide range of needy people in the community and extend the support accordingly.
The Patron of the new Foundation is the Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO, Tewolde GebreMariam, while Wasihun Asres, Head Group CEO Office and Corporate Communication, is the founding General Manager of EAF.
Ethiopian Airlines has been involved in charity activities almost since its inception some 70 years ago. Ethiopian has been partnering with various local and international aid organizations in transporting medical and educational supplies. Ethiopian has entered a mutual agreement with Airlink to deliver humanitarian aid worldwide through donated passenger and air cargo transportation.
Ethiopian Airlines is one of the 50 airlines involved in Boeing’s Humanitarian Delivery Flights Program. As part of this program it has been transporting medical and educational donations to hospitals and schools in Ethiopia and other African countries.
Ethiopian Airlines said it has been touching the lives of many individuals by filling the gaps of their financial constraint through the full coverage of their medical travel costs. “This has been a great help to the needy patients to access foreign treatment improving their medical conditions.”
According to Ethiopian, the Airline has been actively cooperating with different local and international organizations in support of worthy social initiatives like; community development, sports and arts. Ethiopian Airlines has been working with many charity organizations – including but not limited to – Ethiopian Children’s Fund, Children Heart Fund, Vision for Generation, Mekedonia Home for the Elderly and Mentally Disabled, Save a Child’s Heart, Hamlin Fistula Int’l Foundation, Eye Bank of Ethiopia, and Ethiopian Red Cross Society.
The management of Ethiopian Airlines believes that the establishment of EAF will enable it to enhance its contribution to the society by discharging its CSR in an organized manner.
Ethiopian Airlines is also engaged in environment protection and rehabilitation programs. “Ethiopian is aware of the impacts its business has on the environment and is continuously exploring ways to reduce its environmental footprint in every feature of its operations.” The severe depletion of forest in Ethiopia prompted Ethiopian Airlines to launch the Fly Greener campaign in 2008, a project that aims to bring trees back to the Ethiopia’s landscape by planting one tree for every passenger it flies.
Ethiopian Airlines said that it prevents pollution at the source by reducing waste, recycling or disposing of items, and purchasing products that are reusable or that contain recycled materials.
Ethiopian Airlines also promotes going green by emitting less carbon while maintaining high quality service. Ethiopian says it is reducing its carbon foot print on the environment by operating technologically advanced, environmentally friendly and young fleet with an average age of five years. The airline serves 92 international and 19 domestic destinations with a modern fleet of 77 aircraft including Boeing B787 Dreamliner, B777 and Bombardier Q400s.
