Change For Good: The 10th Anniversary

© UNICEF UK & BBC - May 7, 2004

Change for Good, the successful fundraising partnership between British Airways and UNICEF, the United Nation’s Children’s Fund, received royal support today when Her Majesty The Queen visited Heathrow Airport to honour the tenth anniversary of the programme.

During the last ten years Change for Good has raised over £17 million from donations of loose change made by British Airways customers. The money has directly benefited UNICEF’s work to improve the lives of children in over 50 developing countries.

To mark the anniversary, Her Majesty The Queen unveiled an aircraft dedicated to ten years of Change for Good and met with staff from British Airways and UNICEF who have been instrumental to the success of the partnership. The aircraft, a Boeing 747, called simply, "Change for Good", will carry the logo of the partnership to destinations around the world, along with messages of thanks from the thousands of children who have benefited from the programme.

Her Majesty The Queen was hosted by Lord Marshall, British Airways Chairman, Lord Puttnam, President of UNICEF UK, and Sir Roger Moore, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

Lord Puttnam said: “We are delighted and honoured that Her Majesty The Queen has recognised the Change for Good programme in this way. The success of Change for Good is a great achievement for British Airways and for UNICEF. Over these ten years the programme has made an enormous difference to thousands of children across the world.’’

Sir Roger Moore added: “It’s amazing to think that £17 million has been raised from the spare change in people’s pockets. I have visited many UNICEF projects made possible by Change for Good and I have seen with my own eyes how children’s lives have been transformed through these donations.”

Lord Marshall said: “People at British Airways have embraced all that Change for Good stands for. We look forward to another ten years of raising money for the world’s most vulnerable children.”

Highlights of Change for Good’s contribution to UNICEF include:

• Sponsoring a national immunisation campaign in Zambia making it possible to immunise over 1.2 million children against polio.
• Donating a total of £1 million to UNICEF work in Mexico City since 1994. The latest donation of £150,000 supports the protection of street children in the city.
• Rebuilding a dilapidated primary school in Nigeria including furnishing classrooms, providing toilets, running water and supplying teaching materials for the 3000 pupils.
• Supporting UNICEF’s vital emergency work in India, El Salvador, Kosovo, Iraq and Iran.
• In 2004 Change for Good will support an HIV education project in India, teaching children about all aspects of HIV/AIDS and encouraging them to spread awareness in their communities.

Photos kindly provided by Gareth Owen - dot not reproduce without permission