Lebanon, July 7, 2014: Thirteen-year-old Reine from Beirut dreams of becoming a professional ballerina and she is one step closer thanks to British Airways. The airline has partnered with The Nawaya Network, a local NGO that develops the talents of disadvantaged and marginalized youth; Reine left for New York to attend a two-week intensive ballet class at Danceworks Studios.
The young ballerina and her mother’s roundtrip flights to New York are being provided by British Airways as a part of the airline’s ‘Making the World a Smaller Place’ initiative, which aims to help children and adults who require extra support to make their dreams come true.
Paolo De Renzis, British Airways’ Commercial Manager for the Middle East and Central Asia said, “The Nawaya Network is making such a difference to young people’s lives and we are absolutely delighted to be helping Reine make her dreams come true. She has such a huge talent for ballet and it’s wonderful that we are able to support her. At British Airways, our motto is ‘To Fly. To Serve.’ and we are delighted to be able to serve a young girl’s future by flying her to New York.”
To find out more about Reine please visit www.nawaya.org
About British Airways:
- British Airways flies to 179 destinations, 9 destinations in the UK, 84 in Europe and 86 in the rest of the world.
- The airline is one of the world's largest international airlines carrying approximately 40 million passengers around the world every year.
- The airline offers a choice of four cabins on the majority of its long-haul services.
- The airline is investing in new aircraft, new cabins, new technology and new routes.
- British Airways operates the majority of flights from Terminal 5, its home at London Heathrow. This terminal is capable of handling 30 million customers a year and is the size of 50 football pitches.
- British Airways is half way through a more than £5bn investment in new aircraft, smarter cabins, elegant lounges and new technologies to make life more comfortable in the air and on the ground.
- British Airway’s home Terminal 5 has been recognised as the world’s best terminal for the third consecutive year in the Skytrax awards.
About The Nawaya Network:
- The Nawaya Network is an NGO based in Beirut, Lebanon
- It was founded in 2011 and supports youth with talents such as in art, music, dance, athletics, writing, photography, and theatre
- It identifies resources for its youth via an interactive online platform on www.nawaya.org
- Nawaya supports its youth by:
- Enrolling them in classes
- Funding their transportation
- Covering their class fees
- Connecting them with media opportunities
- Finding them internships and job opportunities
- Matching them with mentors
- Training them in life skills, soft skills, and business etiquette to prepare them for employment
- Awards and recognitions include:
- Winner of the King Abdullah Award for Youth Innovation and Achievement
- Winner of the Nabad Social Entrepreneurship Award
- Finalist in the Global Social Venture Competition – Lebanese Track
- Mentioned in Queen Rania’s speech at Harvard University in November 2013
- Featured in over 30 media outlets locally and internationally
- Main donors include the King Abdullah Fund for Development, Alfanar, The Global Fund for Children, and USAID
For media enquiries, please contact the British Airways press office:
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