The "Flying High For Kids" World Balloon Project comes to China

Chaping Town, 28 Sept – New Zealand balloon pilot Andrew Parker brought his coloured hot air balloon to the UNICEF supported Child Friendly Space in Chaping Town, An County, a mountainous area in the northwest of China's Sichuan Province where a catastrophic earthquake struck in 2008, leaving many schools damaged or reduced to rubble. 

Andrew, who has already brought his UNICEF emblazoned balloon to Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines and Laos before coming to China, aims to bring happiness to the children he visits and raise awareness of the importance of education - a child's right as outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a core mandate of UNICEF's global work. His Asia trip also brought attention to UNICEF's School for Asia initiative that strives to empower the most vulnerable children in Asia with the opportunity for education.

I dreamed of becoming a hot balloon pilot since I was 6 years old.”Andrew told the children gathered around his hot balloon, “I hope you will chase your dream, do what you are passionate about, and make your dreams come true.”The event took place in the community's main square to a crowd of over 400 people including children and their parents.

The “Flying High For Kids” project, created by Andrew and was launched in December of 2013, will visit about 100 schools around the world over a span of four years. During each visit, Andrew collects postcards made by students to give to their peers in his next destination, promoting cultural exchange and facilitating communication among children from different countries. The funds he raised during his global journey will support UNICEF's work in reaching more than 57 million children who do not have access to a basic education. 

Thrilled at the risen balloon, children ran to Andrew and gathered around him, shouting out questions like “Why did it rise?”“How come the balloon doesn't catch on fire?”“Is it safe to travel with the balloon?”Nodding and smiling, Andrew patiently listened and answered every question. The children also gave him the postcards they made in advance.

UNICEF's Child Friendly Spaces is a family and community-based approach to children's well being that includes health and hygiene, recreation, psychosocial support and education. In the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, UNICEF has worked with the government to set up over 40 Child Friendly Spaces in the earthquake-affected area to ensure children have access to basic service and a safe environment where they can learn and play.