The corona crisis has hit the Austrian job market very hard, with jobless figures reaching an all-time high. One of the groups that have been particularly affected by the crisis are students. Many of them do not meet the eligibility criteria for government aid and are now left without income. “We know from our regular student surveys that many of our students have jobs and are working at least some hours per week. But many of these jobs only classify as marginal employment and do not include any unemployment insurance. We have therefore decided to offer financial support to those students who are now left without any income at all,” says Rector Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger.

To support students in need, WU Vienna has launched the WU Helps initiative. As part of this initiative, WU-branded face masks are now available for sale in the WU Shop and online. All of the proceeds from the sales go to an aid fund for students facing financial difficulties.

Masks produced by a new business with ties to WU

The WU face masks are produced by 2 former schoolmates who decided to join forces and start a new business during the corona crisis: WU student Ahmet Bozkurt and tailor Onur Erkan, who sews the masks in his tailor shop in Salzburg. The masks are made from 100% organic cotton and washable up to 90 °C. Ahmet Bozkurt handles marketing activities and the legal aspects of the new business. Every step in the production chain takes place in Austria – from purchasing the organic cotton to sewing, packaging, and shipping. The face masks sport an understated WU logo and are available for €17 from the on-campus WU Shop or online at wu.at/wuhilft.

Helping twofold

The WU face masks help twofold: They help to curb the spread of viruses, including the novel coronavirus, and all of the proceeds from the sales are donated to a WU aid fund for students struggling with financial difficulties. The aid fund is targeted at WU bachelor’s students who earned at least 16 ECTS credits in the last academic year, lost their job due to the corona crisis, and are not covered by the government’s COVID-19 aid packages and support measures (e.g. because of marginal employment). WU’s goal is to provide €1000 of financial aid to each student in need.

Order your WU face mask here