Corporate Social Responsibility
‘We believe organisations should focus as much on social responsibility as on pure business performance – it is important to Zain that its social and cultural projects have a positive impact on the people of all the countries in which we operate. We are a business, but one that recognises that we do not live in a cosy bubble, cut off from the rest of the world.’ – Dr Saad Al-Barrak, Deputy-Chairman and Managing Director (CEO)
Zain is a global citizen, and in the human spirit of community building, we build support, provide for, work with and strengthen communities wherever we go. We take our social responsibilities very seriously. This means pushing our role in the community beyond providing world-class-leading telecommunications technologies and services.
Empathy, respect and participation are the three words that encapsulate our approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Bringing this concept of CSR down to earth is what Zain is all about: it boils down to our role in local communities at a grass roots level.
Our roles in local communities take many different paths, from high-profile corporate sponsorship to lower-profile charity-related grants. In all of the countries we operate, this has translated into support in many forms for education, health services and the protection of environmental and maritime heritage, and the sponsoring of sports, arts and cultural events.
The list is long, however notable examples include:
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MTC (now Zain) established the Sabah Ear-Nose-Throat Hospital in 1999 as a philanthropic gesture for the State of Kuwait
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Sponsorship of a mobile pediatrics clinic and a cancer hospital as well as the establishment of an incubator program to develop application and content for mobiles in Jordan
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E-learning Centre in Bahrain developed in coordination with the University of Bahrain as well as financial contributions to three of Bahrain’s key support services for children with special needs
- Humanitarian Aid and Financial support has been given to several Iraqi humanitarian organizations and sponsoring the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra and the Iraqi Olympic Football Team
- Financial contributions in Lebanon to charity association as to various summer camps for orphans
Embracing local talent : We also like to benefit local communities by employing locally- a very high percentage of local employees in countries where we operate internationally (Jordan 99%, Bahrain 89%, Iraq 100%, Lebanon 99%, Africa 98%). This is another way we can help economically, and assist the development of a domestic technological base.
In continuing to push forward with calculated, opportunity-driven expansion and in striving to achieve our mission of establishing Zain as an innovative, community-oriented telecommunications player on the global stage, we are fulfilling our promise to ourselves and to our customers. Quite simply, we care.
