Etihad Airways donates to underprivileged communities in Sri Lanka

A delegation from Etihad Airways visited Sri Lanka this week to present the donation, raised through a series of charitable initiatives in Abu Dhabi. 

The two-day programme included the official opening of the Maha Vidyalaya School in Alankuda which was fully rebuilt with funds raised by the Abu Dhabi based airline. The school benefits 1,500 students who received care packages with school bags, stationery, shirts, blankets, dates, and clothes. 

Khaled Al Mehairbi, senior vice president of Government and Aero-political Affairs. said: “As the UAE flag carrier we are committed to giving back to those in need.  We are extremely proud to play a part in helping these students pursue their studies and hope that our visit will help raise awareness of global education, and at the same time celebrate our eleven years of operations in Sri Lanka. 

“This donation represents the kindness and generosity of our staff and partners, as well as the wider community in Abu Dhabi who participated in this community initiative.” 

The visit also included the official launch of a new women’s clinic at the District Kalpitiya Hospital in Puttalam located north west of Colombo.

Etihad Airways funded the establishment and refurbishment of the new clinic to improve health and wellness of women in rural areas and increase awareness of the importance of the early detection of breast cancer. 

The airline’s Guest Services team donated UAE Dirhams 50,000 raised through various charitable initiatives and activities during 2014. Blankets were also distributed to in-house patients. 

Khaled Al Mehairbi said: “I would like to thank the Guest Services team for their generosity.  Etihad Airways provides ongoing support for many initiatives aimed at improving the health and welfare of working women and children. We look toward to working closely with the hospital in the future.”