SEPANG: AirAsia Foundation, the philanthropic arm of AirAsia Group, has launched the digital #InThisTogether campaign to help vulnerable communities impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
All donations will be channelled to social enterprises and charities such as Perak State Parks, SEED Foundation and Beyond Borders Malaysia, which provide food and medical aid to Orang Asli families, people without permanent shelter, as well as refugees.
AirAsia Foundation is also monitoring the situation of its social enterprise grantees and their vulnerable community members, many of whom lost daily subsistence wages as a result of lockdowns and movement restrictions imposed in countries across the region.
Donors may make their contributions on AirAsia Foundation’s dedicated fund-raising page at https://airasiafoundation.com/relieffund; or at BigPay via the financial app’s P2P transfer option to AirAsia Foundation; or via Local Bank Transfer (available from April 6 onwards).
AirAsia Foundation executive director Yap Mun Ching said the pandemic has disproportionately affected those who were already socio-economically disadvantaged.
“Among our grantees, several have reported appeals from community members for food aid. In these extraordinary times, we call for collective action and hope that as many people as possible will give their support,” he said.
BigPay CEO and co-founder Christopher Davison said in partnering in this campaign, their priority is to enable donors to do their part from the safety of their homes and support frontline workers, as they carry out life-saving missions.
“BigPay’s goal is to enable financial inclusivity for all layers of society. This drive encapsulates our broader mission”, he said.
AirAsia Foundation has an extensive record of supporting organisations that provide relief to communities in crises. Since 2013, the foundation has raised over RM14 million to support post-disaster relief and rehabilitation programmes following Typhoon Haiyan (2013), Malaysian floods (2014), Nepal earthquake (2015) and Palu tsunami (2018).
The Foundation has also coordinated the delivery of thousands of tonnes of aid on AirAsia flights to disaster-hit locations across the region.
Under the current #InThisTogether campaign, AirAsia is redirecting its commercial and transportation channels to provide a lifeline for small businesses.
Other than AirAsia’s Foundation’s fund-raising drive, the group is providing e-commerce and delivery solutions via its e-commerce platform OURSHOP and Teleport delivery service to bricks-and-mortar businesses; as well as fitness and educational instructors who have had to shutter their premises to control the spread of Covid-19.
For more information on the initiative called ‘Save Our Shops’ (S.O.S), visit airasia.com.
For further details on the donation drive, visit https://airasiafoundation.com/relieffund
