Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser is UNESCO’s Special Envoy for Education

The event was attended by guests from the philanthropic, business and political communities, together with celebrities. Following the reception was a dinner and concert, featuring famed jazz musician Wynton Marsalis and a special performance by Chick Corea held at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Centre. 

New York was also the venue for the official announcement of two new partners pledging their support to the global programme – Qatar Airways and the Jazz at Lincoln Centre.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker and Chairman of the Board of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Robert Appel confirmed their commitment and enthusiasm about their respective organisations’ involvement in the initiative.

Launched in November 2012 by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Educate a Child has already provided 600,000 children with access to education, with a goal of reaching a total of 61 million children around the world, through a number of partnerships with organisations such as the United Nations, UNESCO and Qatar Airways.

Sheikha Moza said: “These 61 million children have been forgotten by the world. It is unacceptable. Educate A Child has set itself the goal of reaching 10 million of these by the end of 2015. This may sound ambitious, but I know it is possible. In just four months, we have reached out to 600,000 children. There is so much to do, but we cannot do it alone.” 

Educate A Child is a programme led by Sheikha Moza that seeks to provide a quality primary education to children affected by conflict, natural disasters and restrictive cultural practices. After a series of field trips by Her Highness, EAC was launched and it is a cause that aims to make a powerful impression on people around the world, including New Yorkers.

Flying to over 125 destinations around the world, Qatar Airways is uniquely positioned to reach many of the countries where Educate A Child is active. The airline has pledged to provide food, cargo, and personal transport services for the programme as well as promoting awareness of EAC and the plight of the 61m out-of-school children in the world through its in-flight communications channels.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said: “We believe that global aviation can bridge communities and people to galvanise support for causes that affect individuals across every continent. Qatar Airways is proud to partner with an initiative that matches our spirit and ambition as an organisation. 

“Guided by the commendable vision of Educate A Child, we have already begun to support out-of-school children around the world, with the basic human right they deserve – education,” he added.

“We have to shock, to shake, to provoke the people of the world to make them wake up to be part of this engagement,” said Marcio Barbosa, Chief Executive of the Education Above All Foundation, which runs the EAC programme.

Qatar Airways, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, has seen rapid growth in just 16 years of operations, currently flying a modern fleet of 124 aircraft to 126 key destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and The Americas, including Chicago, the airline’s newest point introduced on April 10.

Over the next few weeks and months, Qatar Airways will launch scheduled flights to a diverse portfolio of new routes, including Salalah, Oman (May 22); Basra, Iraq (June 3); Sulaymaniyah, Iraq (August 20); Chengdu, China (September 3);  Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (September 18); .Clark Airport, Philippines (October 28) and Philadelphia, USA (2 April 2014). 

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