Jet Airways To Launch ‘Celebrating Womanhood’The Introduction Of In-Flight Collection Drive For NGOs

Mumbai, February 25, 2009: Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, will launch its ‘Celebrating Womanhood’ initiative with the introduction of an in-flight collection drive for five Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) working on a range of women’s issues.

Coinciding with Women’s Day, Jet Airways will activate this in-flight fund raising programme on all domestic services,between March 1 and March 8, 2009. This is in keeping with Jet Airways in-flight collection programme for Save the Children India (STCI) since 1997. It may be pertinent to note that part of the funds collected onboard Jet Airways’ flights are allocated towards imparting vocational training to young women in Mumbai’s urban slums.

The NGOs selected by Jet Airways are:

Muktangan is an NGO that aims to empower women by providing career opportunities through training to teach in schools.

Navjeet Community Health Center, an outreach wing of The Bandra Holy Family Hospital, works with the urban poor to promote women's empowerment through income generation, adoption of BMC schools, Community based Organisations,Mahila Mandals,Self Help Groups, Specialised skills training, Personality and Leadership camps.

SAHAS is a project of the K. J. Somaiya Medical Trust that aims to reach out to and support those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS: to work to halt the spread of the disease with empathy, responsibility and dignity.

Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP), meaning Self Education for Empowerment, is a learning and development organization based in Mumbai, India. SSP supports 60,000 women organized in dynamic networks of self help groups SHGs and networked into self governed Sakhi Federations. Working in the disaster-prone terrains of three Indian states, SSP has nurtured around 850 women retail entrepreneurs with a total consumer base of 63,000 families and cumulative earnings of Rs. 2.3 crores.

Mijwan Welfare Society was established by the late Kaifi Azmi in Mijwan Village in Uttar Pradesh, and seeks to emancipate young underprivileged girls by providing them an opportunity to learn skills in a safe and healthy environment.

According to Mr. Sudheer Raghavan, CCO, Jet Airways, “As a responsible corporate citizen, Jet Airways is proud to support the afore-mentioned NGOs in their commendable efforts. The airline has always been at the forefront of various philanthropic activities, these being the latest in a number of initiatives that Jet Airways has supported, and continues to support.”