easyJet passengers first to experience UNICEF’s virtual reality film – at 30,000 feet!
Howard Lake | 28 October 2016 | News
UNICEF’s virtual reality film about its work to eradicate polio was first show to passengers on an easyJet flight from London to Portugal. The three-dimensional film highlights the children’s charity’s ambition to eradicate the disease by 2019.
Appropriately enough it was experienced by passengers on flight EZY2019 from Luton to Faro, and on World Polio Day.
Passengers watched the 360 degree film of the story of Job, the last child in Kenya to have been infected by the polio virus. UNICEF and easyJet are working together through their Change for Good partnership to help end polio.
In-flight VR on World Polio Day
The virtual reality film is narrated by Unicef UK Ambassador Ewan McGregor. He said of the film:
“UNICEF’s new Virtual Reality film about polio gives people the chance to step into another world and see what life is like for children affected by the disease and shows why we need to do everything we can to stop it.”
George Totten, 9, was on the flight with his family and took part in the virtual reality experience. He said:
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“It was really cool, I felt like I was actually there with all the children and I want to do it again.”
easyJet UNICEF partnership
Donations from passengers totalling £8 million have resulted in the easyJet and UNICEF partnership helping vaccinate more than 13 million children against polio and 5.3 million mothers and babies against other deadly diseases.
When polio is eradicated it will follow smallpox, the only disease that has been wiped from the planet.
Tina Milton, Head of Cabin services at easyJet, said:
“To mark World Polio Day easyJet is holding a special one day collection for UNICEF on all of our flights. Passengers will be asked to donate their left over holiday change, whatever the currency, to help the fight against polio.”
He expected 200,000 passengers to be invited to donate on that day.
VR on the beach
Unicef VR on the beach
UNICEF and easyJet also took the virtual reality headsets to the beaches of Faro so holiday makers could get the chance to see what reality is like for children living with the disease.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.