AirAsia Foundation launches digital donation drive to support vulnerable communities
SEPANG, 5 April 2020 - AirAsia Foundation, the philanthropic arm of AirAsia Group, has launched a public digital donation drive as part of the group’s #InThisTogether campaign to help vulnerable communities impacted by the pandemic starting today to 30 April 2020.
All donations will be channelled to social enterprises and charities such as Perak State Parks, SEED Foundation and Beyond Borders Malaysia that provide food and medical aid to Orang Asli families, people without permanent shelter and 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 movement restrictions imposed across the region.
Donors may make their contributions on AirAsia Foundation’s dedicated fund-raising page at https://airasiafoundation.com/relieffund or on BigPay via the financial app’s P2P transfer option to AirAsia Foundation or via Local Bank Transfer (available from 6 April 2020 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.”
BigPay CEO and Co-Founder Christopher Davison said: “In partnering in this campaign, our 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.”
AirAsia Foundation has an extensive record supporting organisations that provide relief to communities in crises. Since 2013, the foundation has raised over MYR14 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 to control the spread of Covid-19. For more information on the initiative, called ‘Save Our Shops’ (S.O.S), interested businesses can visit airasia.com.
For further details and status of the donation drive, please visit https://airasiafoundation.com/relieffund..
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About AirAsia Foundation
AirAsia Foundation is committed to helping build an ASEAN Community of the future by advocating social entrepreneurship, equal opportunity, and innovation. As the philanthropic arm of the AirAsia Group, it provides social enterprise grants to empower underprivileged individuals, and supports projects that preserve and revive the region’s unique cultural heritage. Since its establishment in 2012, it has funded 28 social enterprises, creating an impact in the lives of over 2,800 direct beneficiaries. For more information, go to https://www.airasiafoundation.com.
About BigPay
BigPay is re-imagining financial products and services across Southeast Asia by building a consumer focused platform to deliver fair and transparent financial services.
We want to help a new generation take back control of their money, and rediscover the value of financial services. Our goal is to empower our customers with the skills and knowledge to make the right financial decisions. BigPay launched in January 2018 and is growing rapidly in one of the fastest-growing markets in the world. Our headquarters is in Singapore, and we have offices in Kuala Lumpur, Thailand and soon across ASEAN.
We are a homegrown Southeast Asian brand. We are the first challenger bank in Southeast Asia. Our mission is to use technology and data to make financial inclusion a reality for the region.