On January 16, Cathay Pacific Airways and UNICEF announced that almost HK$10 million was collected through the airline's "Change for Good" inflight fundraising programme in the 2006/2007 programme period.

The announcement was made at a press event in Pacific Place attended by Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Tony Tyler, Chairman, Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF Dr. Robert Fung and Chairman, Regular Fundraising Committee, Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF Maggie Koong. Also present was local actress Charlie Young, who works as an Ambassador for the Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF.

Most of the money collected through Change for Good goes to UNICEF to help in its projects to improve the lives of underprivileged children around the world. In addition, approximately HK$700,000 of this year's proceeds will be donated to the Cathay Pacific Wheelchair Bank to help local children with neuromuscular diseases.

Cathay Pacific pioneered Change for Good with UNICEF in 1991 and over the past 17 years the airline has raised over HK$81 million through the programme, in which spare change in foreign currencies is collected from passengers.

Speaking at the event, Tony Tyler said: "Change for Good is a simple yet very effective way to raise money to help improve the lives of unprivileged children, and I would like to thank our passengers for their continued support. UNICEF does a fantastic job helping young people around the world and we are pleased to be able to contribute another HK$10 million to assist their worthwhile efforts."

UNICEF's Maggie Koong said: "UNICEF considers the Change for Good inflight fundraising programme to be very important. The donation of coins will help change the lives of children around the world. Small change adds up to impressive annual total, helping those children in need. Special thanks should be given to our Ambassador, Ms Charlie Young, for her tremendous support for UNICEF activities. I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to Pacific Place for sponsoring the venue for our exhibition and this press conference."

At the event, Charlie Young shared her experience of working with UNICEF and urged local people to continue to support the agency's vital work. A number of Cathay Pacific staff also spoke about their experiences on a recent field trip to Cambodia, which was organised by UNICEF to show how the money raised through Change for Good is being put to good use.

The field trip proved to be both an informative and emotional journey, and over seven days the participants learnt about the issues affecting young people and their families in Cambodia, including poor access to education and health services, the continued threat from landmines, the issue of child labour, and the misery caused by HIV/AIDS.

Field trip participant Hiromi Takai, a flight attendant with the airline, said it was moving to discover how keen the Cambodian youngsters were to learn, despite their disadvantages. "They are more eager to learn than children back home and happy to share with others what they have. The field trip certainly made me appreciate what I have even more," said Hiromi.

Fellow participant Tracey Kwong, from Cathay Pacific's Corporate Communication Department, saw how poverty and hunger can drive people to acts of desperation when one mother asked her to take her baby to Hong Kong to give it a better life. "I pray that things will get better for people like the mother and child with the help of UNICEF's continued support," said Tracey.

An exhibition currently on display in Pacific Place until January 17 features photos from the Change for Good Cambodia field trip.

Photograph 1: (Back row, from left) Cathay Pacific General Manager Corporate Communication Dane Cheng, Chairman, Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF Dr. Robert Fung, Ambassador for the Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF Charlie Young, Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Tony Tyler, Chairman, Regular Fundraising Committee, Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF Maggie Koong and Deputy Director Jockey Club Rehabilitation Engineering Centre of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Professor Eric Tam together with Cathay Pacific staff at the press event. Cathay Pacific announced that almost HK$10 million was collected through the airline's "Change for Good" inflight fundraising programme in the 2006/2007 programme period.

Photograph 2: Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Tony Tyler and Ambassador for the Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF Charlie Young urged local people to continue to support UNICEF's vital work.

Photograph 3: A number of Cathay Pacific staff took part in a recent field trip to Cambodia organised by UNICEF to see how the money raised through Change for Good is being put to good use.

Photograph 4: Field trip participant Hiromi Takai was moved when she discovered how keen the Cambodian youngsters were to learn despite their disadvantages.