American Airlines Taking Donations In The Air, Online To Help Ukraine
FORT WORTH, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — Throughout the month of March, American Airlines is raising funds to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
"It is deeply troubling to see the humanitarian crisis unfolding as a result of the conflict in Ukraine," said Brady Byrnes, Vice President of Flight Service for American. "Our purpose at American Airlines is to care for people on life's journey and in order to truly fulfill that purpose, we must step up when it matters most."
Beginning March 7, funds collected in flight by flight attendants and online through American's partnership with UNICEF's Change for Good program will be directed to support UNICEF and its humanitarian response in Ukraine.
The funds raised online, and on flights to and from international destinations and Hawaii, will support UNICEF in reaching vulnerable children and families in Ukraine, according to a news release. Donations will help with access to basic services including water, sanitization, immunization and health care, as well as schooling and learning support and emergency cash assistance for up to 7.5 million children.
Additionally, funds can support UNICEF's overall response for children in Ukraine and neighboring countries of pre-positioning critical health supplies to cover the immediate needs of internally displaced people in nine strategic hromadas (municipalities).
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has unleashed significant devastation, forcing at least 1.5 million people so far to flee their homes, and costing many civilians -- children, women and men -- their lives. Fears are mounting for Ukrainian civilians trapped in the cities of Mariupol, Volnovakha and Kyiv as the Russian onslaught of besieged cities continues.
In the months preceding the invasion, Russian officials accused Ukraine of inciting tensions, while also making multiple security demands of the country, NATO, and non-NATO EU allies. But many Western officials said the claims were an attempt to justify war.