AirAsia raises P97M for Yolanda victims

MANILA, Philippines - Low-cost carrier giant AirAsia Group of Malaysia has raised close to P100 million for the reconstruction of 500 homes and livelihood opportunities for survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda.

The airline raised a total of P97 million from its ‘To Philippines with Love’ campaign (#toPHwithlove) in aid of reconstruction efforts in Yolanda affected areas.

“We express our deepest gratitude to guests who contributed generously to this fund-raising effort which exceeded all our expectations. We started this campaign as an expression of ASEAN unity for survivors who lost so much and we are incredibly touched to find that the campaign received donations from people in 75 countries all over the world. AirAsia is proud to match this donation and ensure that every cent goes to rebuilding lives,” AirAsia Group chief executive officer Tony Fernandes said.

The donations would be distributed to four development partners to fulfill the airline’s pledge to support rebuilding of homes and livelihoods for survivors in the hardest hit areas.

The Philippine Red Cross would build 345 homes in Panay using funds amounting to P46 million raised from matching and partner funds managed by AirAsia Foundation.

On the other hand, Habitat for Humanity Philippines would receive P37.4 million to construct 187 permanent housing units in Tacloban designed to withstand an intensity 8 earthquake and 250-kilometer per hour windspeed.

Contributing partner companies include Credit Suisse, Tune Insurance, Queens Park Rangers Football Club, CIMB Group and EQ8.

AirAsia was one of the first commercial carriers to operate humanitarian flights, carrying close to 5,000 relief workers and survivors as well as 400 tons of aid items to Tacloban, Cebu and Kalibo.

It also offered 250,000 free seats across AirAsia’s Philippines network for people to travel in search of missing family members.

In selecting the reconstruction partners, AirAsia focused on ensuring that beneficiaries are better equipped to face future weather challenges.

All housing units funded by AirAsia donations would be equipped with sanitation facilities and provided with access to electricity supply.

Beneficiaries would be selected based on a set of criteria based on extent of impact of the disaster on the families including their vulnerability factor.

Habitat for Humanity homes would be assigned to families according to a needs-based list provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD.

The AirAsia Foundation is also spending P8 million for the livelihood aspect of rehabilitation through Hapinoy’s Project Bagong Araw to revive disrupted sari-sari store networks as well as Rags2Riches Inc. to train 50 individuals in Tacloban with sewing and painting skills.

“We believe that for people to get their lives back on track, it is crucial that they have jobs and the opportunity to earn an income. The livelihood projects that we support also help restore damaged supply chains to address the problems of inflation and shortages in typhoon-affected areas,” Fernandes added.

AirAsia also intends to support airport workers in Tacloban, Cebu and Kalibo whose homes were damaged or destroyed during the storm.

AirAsia, the leading and largest low-cost carrier in Asia services the most extensive network with 87 destinations. Within 12 years of operations, AirAsia has carried over 200 million guests and grown its fleet from just two aircraft to over 140.