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Emirates supports early education with a donation of 325 ‘Aircrafted Kids’ special edition bags in Zimbabwe

• Backpacks and stationery essentials were distributed to Rose of Sharon and St Marcellins Children’s Village Trust

Harare, Zimbabwe, 10 February, 2025 – Education is one of the greatest engines for societal development, laying a strong foundation for economic empowerment, however adequate access to resources is an ongoing barrier for children and young people. To help address this, Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, has donated essential supplies and limited-edition, handcrafted backpacks from its ‘Aircrafted by Emirates’ collection to two non-profit organisations in Zimbabwe.
 
While Zimbabwe has made significant reforms in their education system, many rural schools do not have access to the necessary infrastructure and resources, causing a disparity with students in urban areas. St Marcellins Children’s Village Trust and Rose of Sharon serve local communities by creating a nurturing and inspirational space, for financially disadvantaged youths to continue their education. With a longstanding legacy of supporting youth, and a particular focus on education, Emirates aims to support both organisations’ students with their schooling by providing practical, stylish backpacks and stationery supplies. The initiative reinforces the airline’s commitment to ‘connecting communities’ by building enduring relationships and making meaningful differences in the destinations it serves.
 
Talal Al Gergawi, Country Manager for Zimbabwe, Emirates, said: “To provide the next generation with the essential tools to build a better future, we first must provide them the essential tools for their education. We wanted to provide better access to supplies and resources to help the students of Rose of Sharon and St Marcellins continue their studies, build a brighter future. Celebrating our shared values, we also provided a little piece of Emirates’ history, in the form of upcycled backpacks, demonstrating our longstanding and ongoing commitment to Zimbabwe’s culturally rich and diverse communities.”
 
To ensure the organisations recieved exactly what they needed for each and every student, Rose of Sharon and St Marcellins handpicked the specific bags they requried from the ‘Aircrafted by Emirates’ collection, accounting for children of all ages. The backpacks were then handmade by Emirates Engineering in-house, with materials upcycled from the airline’s iconic A380 and 777 aircraft.
 
Dr Fatima Maruta, Founder of Rose of Sharon, said: “We are grateful for the practical support that Emirates is giving to the children as it will make the world of difference.”
 
In addition to the bags, Emirates provided school supplies such as pens, pencils, erasers, calculators, notebooks and more. The airline also purchased books from the Plus One Readers series by Munyaradzi Gunduza, Blessed Mudzingwa and Reggies Chapwanya, which blend culturally rich stories with interactive learning opportunities. The books can be swapped and discussed amongst the students, further developing their understanding of the material.
 
Sybil Macdonald, Co-founder of St Marcellins, said: “Emirates has been incredible as they have carried us over the past 7 – 8 years and as a result we have managed to educate these children. We are truly grateful for the help.”
 
The Emirates team based in Harare visited both St Marcellins and Rose of Sharon to deliver the 325 bags and meet Zimbabwe’s leaders of tomorrow.  
 
Through the Emirates Airline Foundation, Emirates has a long history of supporting children’s welfare programmes, including initiatives at St Marcellins. Over the last several years, the airline has supported their mission to care for orphaned and homeless children in Zimbabwe, many of whom have physical disabilities, blindness and HIV. Over 70 children are currently under the care of the organisation with the Foundation’s support and will now each recieve an Aircrafted backpack too.
 
‘Aircrafted by Emirates’ is an extension of this work. In total, more than 50,000 kg of materials from 191 aircraft slated to undergo the airline’s interior cabin retrofit programme are expected to be recovered and repurposed. In addition to the donations made in Zimbabwe, Emirates provided organisations in Zambia and Ethiopia with bags, bringing the total donation to 1,239 in Africa alone, with more to follow in Asia in the coming months.
 
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About Emirates
The Emirates story started in 1985 when we launched operations with just two aircraft. Today, we fly the world’s biggest fleets of Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s, offering our customers the comforts of the latest and most efficient wide-body aircraft in the skies.
We inspire travellers around the world with our growing network of worldwide destinations, industry leading inflight entertainment, regionally inspired cuisine, and world-class service.
For more information see www.emirates.com/zw

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