Date: 15 Jul 2013

Oman Air has announced its support for an initiative that aims to help those in Oman who need artificial limbs.

The Tab for Giving campaign was launched by Safa Mazhoud AL – Abrawi, a student of the Mass Communications Department in the College of Arts and Social Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, as part of her graduation project and involved collecting tabs or ring-pulls from aluminium drinks cans, which were then sent to the Prosthesis Foundation of Her Royal Highness the Princess Mother in Bangkok, Thailand, to be used in the manufacture of artificial limbs. The limbs are then provided to patients who would not otherwise be able to afford an appropriate prosthesis.

Oman Air facilitated travel arrangements to Bangkok for the Omani citizens who are benefitting from the project as well as for their attendants, who returned to Oman recently after successfully receiving the artificial limbs.

Wayne Pearce, Chief Executive Officer of Oman Air, commented: “Oman Air is pleased to be backing the Tab for Giving campaign and to be offering practical help for those Omani people who will benefit from it.

“The Tab for Giving campaign is an outstanding example of how the energy and creativity of Oman’s young people can be harnessed to improve the lives of those living with a disability and the students of Sultan Qaboos University deserve our praise and support. I am particularly impressed with the campaign’s innovative use of social media and promotion of recycling.”

The Tab for Giving campaign’s broader aims include the promotion of voluntary work, philanthropy and co-operation amongst students and the broader Omani population, as well as raising awareness of the importance of recycling and the benefits it can offer. It has been run over an eight-week period and has involved students in publicizing the campaign within schools, colleges, universities, hotels, restaurants and apartment blocks. Support was also developed by using social media to encourage donations.

At the end of the eight-week campaign, all the tabs and ring-pulls that had been collected were packaged up and sent to the Foundation in Bangkok for use in the manufacturing process. At the end of the eight-week campaign, all the tabs and ring-pulls that had been collected were packaged up and sent to the Foundation in Bangkok for use in the manufacturing process.