Making a change for good with Unicef HK

In 1991, the Hong Kong Committee for Unicef (Unicef HK) and Cathay Pacific united around a vision to convert travellers’ spare change – in any currency – into funds for children’s rights initiatives. This inflight charitable programme was named Change for Good, and anyone who’s flown with us in the last 30 years will instantly recognise the envelopes handed out by cabin crew to collect donated coins at the end of a flight. 

This programme is part of our revitalised strategy to support causes across the world and in Hong Kong by connecting people, cultures and places and enacting work that has lasting benefits. Those small envelopes make a big impact: almost HK$200 million has been raised since Change for Good was founded. It’s inspired other airlines to work with Unicef or start their own donation drives. As Judy Chen, Chairman of Unicef HK, says, “Change for Good became a blueprint for other airline partnerships, regionally and globally.” 

As we deepened our partnership with Unicef HK over the years, we took our fundraising efforts in new directions to support its development goals. In 2016, upon Change for Good’s 25th anniversary, we unveiled a series of initiatives devoted to children’s education across Asia. Under this plan, 30 per cent of the programme’s funds went on to benefit Unicef’s Schools for Asia projects in India and the Chinese Mainland. 

As Cathay Pacific’s then-Director of Corporate Affairs, Arnold Cheng, said at the time, “Cathay Pacific has been focusing its community efforts on education, as quality education is essential for child development, and it has a positive long-term impact for future generations and society at large.”

The education of children and young people continues to be a core pillar of Cathay’s charitable work; in 2019 alone, Change for Good raised HK$6.7 million for such initiatives. Now we’re gearing up for another revamp of our Change for Good programme. This process involves innovation in how people can donate . As Chen explains, “We want to participate from the beginning to the end of your journey. For example, we’re working to make it possible for Cathay customers to donate US$1 to Unicef HK when purchasing their tickets.”  

We’re also adapting to the ascendancy of digital payment methods and the decrease in people carrying spare change. “We’re developing a digital quick-pay solution for people to donate with ease during their journey,” Chen says.

Besides inflight fundraising, we assist Unicef HK through the Cathay Shop , through which you can donate your Asia Miles for learning kits, polio vaccines and emergency relief packages for children in conflict or disaster situations. This way, we keep our members connected with Unicef HK long after their flight.

We’re also longtime sponsors of the Unicef Charity Run in Hong Kong, after having first supported the event in 2007. Last November, the run raised HK$7.65 million for the NGO’s global initiatives across health, nutrition, water and hygiene, and other children’s rights programmes.

Volunteering forms a significant part of Cathay’s culture, and our people fly around the world to take part in charitable missions. “Every time I speak to the Cathay crew, they ask, ‘When are we going on the next charity trip?’” Chen remarks. “I’m touched by the strong spirit of giving at Cathay.”

Looking ahead, we plan to focus not only on fundraising but on strengthening our advocacy work with Unicef HK to promote children’s rights. Among the topics we have discussed this year is how we can better support the organisation in communicating its advocacy.

Chen says, “We believe that in order to build a better future for children, we need to cooperate with a lot of stakeholders, from local government to corporate partners. And Cathay has been one of our most important corporate partners.”