Finnair and UNICEF to help AIDS children in Vietnam

Finnair’s and UNICEF’s traditional Change for Good Christmas campaign has a new objective starting this year. Funds are being collected for Vietnamese children affected by HIV-AIDS. The campaign will begin on Finnair flights on Monday 27 November and continue until 7 January 2007. 

Finnair wants to make a difference in the areas where it has activities itself. Finnair operates leisure flights in the winter to Vietnam. Instead of sending cards and gifts, Finnair is contributing equivalent sums to Change for Good again this Christmas.

In 2005 there were approximately 263,000 HIV positive people in Vietnam of whom a tenth were under 19. In seven years the number of pregnant women with the infection has increased tenfold. HIV and AIDS are estimated to affect the lives of almost 300,000 children.

“The Change for Good campaign is being organised for the 11th time this year. Although we create the means for the collection, we rely on the support of our customers in practice. Finnair wants to thank its customers for their long-term support in improving the lot of the children of the world. In AIDS work a small sum goes a long way: a vaccine that prevents a mother from passing HIV-AIDS to a child during birth costs only four euros,” said Cia Branders from Finnair.

Customers can contribute to the fund by filling the collection envelopes placed in seat pockets with unwanted coins or notes on most international Finnair flights with the exception of some shorter routes. Sealed envelopes should be returned to members of the cabin crew.

In 1994 and 1996 the funds were used for the children of war-torn Ruanda. In 1998 the target was the drug-related problems of the youth of Kaliningrad, while the youngsters of Kosovo benefited in 1999 and support was given to the children of Ethiopia in 2000. Between 2001-2005 the aim was to support the education of the young girls in Nepal. The next three years will see funds collected for HIV-AIDS work among children in Vietnam.

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