Kuwait Times, Sunday, Jan 10, 2021 | Jamadi Al Awwal 26, 1442
Gulf states sign ‘solidarity and stability’ agreement
Kuwait:
By all measures, 2020 has been an exceptional year, having presented
numerous health, economic, and social challenges to the entire world. With the
year closing, Zain has found itself to have reflected a spirit of national unity
and commitment in the social sustainability values it has always adopted year
after another. The company was one of the very first national organizations that
supported the country’s efforts in combating the COVID-19 pandemic since the
first few days of the crisis back in March of last year.
Zain has showcased the spirit of responsibility as a leading national company by
making its human and tech resources available to shoulder the public sector and
maintain the nation’s wellbeing. The company also launched numerous social
awareness campaigns aimed at elevating the health and safety of the community.
Not only that, but Zain was also keen on continuing its support of social,
educational, and cultural initiatives – which it has always been a top supporter
of – in a virtual format this time to adhere to official health measures and
guidelines to keep everyone involved safe.
Zain’s tireless efforts have extended throughout the year, where it has launched
its own social initiatives, supported existing educational, academic, and
environmental programs, in addition to handling the crisis, all under its
corporate sustainability and social responsibility strategy. Being one of the
biggest private sector leaders in the country, Zain was keen on reflecting its
role by supporting the public sector, especially during crises which show the
nation’s true soul.
Collaborating with MOH
After the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced a number of emergency measures in
March 2020 to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19),
Zain immediately announced its collaboration with the ministry to spread health
awareness and contribute to all its efforts in combatting the pandemic.
As part of this collaboration, Zain offered its customers free calls to any of
MOH’s three hotlines, enabling them to inquire about any health or medical
information related to COVID-19 directly from the ministry’s expert team to
ensure they receive correct information from official and certified sources.
Zain also provided MOH with free bulk SMS messages to send medical awareness
content to the community during this period. In addition, the company posted
many awareness messages in collaboration with the ministry’s team on its
official social media channels, and broadcasted official MOH awareness videos on
COVID-19 in seven different languages.
Free Internet and calls
At the end of March, Zain also offered its customers 5 GBs of daily Internet
caps and free local voice calls for a period of one month as part of its
commitment towards its customers during the exceptional circumstances at the
start of the pandemic. This initiative came as a response to the emergency
meeting that Zain was present at along with the related entities and the
Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA). Through
this initiative, Zain tried to offer a contribution to support customers during
these times that affected all life aspects, both personal and professional.
Offering meals
As a contribution to support the enormous efforts exerted by the authorities at
the start of the pandemic, Zain offered over 40,000 meals in collaboration with
the Kuwait Food Bank, where a large number of the meals was distributed during
the week dedicated by the Ministry of Health at Kuwait International Fairgrounds
in Mishref to conduct tests for residents who recently entered the country. The
meals were a contribution by the company to ease the long waiting times while in
line. Many meals were also distributed at Kuwait International Airport’s gates
dedicated for residents who were returning back to their countries because of
the crisis.
The company also offered many smartphone charging stations at Kuwait
International Airport to serve Kuwaiti citizens who were returning home as part
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ evacuation plan to bring Kuwaitis back home
from all over the world during the pandemic. This contribution aimed at
facilitating communication between returning Kuwaitis and their families as soon
as they arrive to Kuwait. Zain was also continuously distributing a large number
of meals to them in collaboration with the Kuwait Food Bank and the Directorate
General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Supporting business customers and SMEs
During early April 2020, Zain collaborated with the Kuwait Integrated Petroleum
Industries Company (KIPIC), a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC),
to supply the quarantine center project at Al-Zour area – that was executed by
KIPIC – with a telecommunications and networking digital infrastructure. The
collaboration came to support the country’s tremendous efforts to fight the
spread of COVID-19 in Kuwait.
Furthermore, as part of its commitment to make its tech capabilities available
to business customers during the pandemic, Zain offered a wide range of digital
and cloud solutions to corporate customers, allowing them to increase
operational efficiency and empower remote working during the crisis. Some of the
most notable services included thermal camera solutions, distance learning
services, Zain Health digital platform, and much more.
Zain also provided business customers with Cisco Webex video conferencing tools
for three months free to support them to engage in digital transformation and
work remotely during the pandemic. The company also provided SME customers with
an opportunity to postpone bill payments for three months without service
discontinuity to support them during the economic crisis that came as a result
of the pandemic.
Shlonik app
During April 2020, specifically during the beginning of the country’s evacuation
plan to bring thousands of Kuwaiti citizens back home at the beginning of the
pandemic, Zain developed ‘Shlonik’ app for smartphones in joint collaboration
with the Ministry of Health and the Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT).
The app’s development and launch came to support the enormous efforts exerted by
the authorities to tackle the pandemic.
Shlonik (which translates to ‘how are you’ in the Kuwaiti dialect), was designed
by Zain’s team with world-class standards under direct and continuous
supervision from the Ministry of Health’s team. The app utilizes the latest tech
solutions to monitor the compliance of citizens who return to Kuwait from abroad
in home quarantine instructions. The app is also an essential tool to pair with
the smart wrist bracelet that was distributed at Kuwait International Airport to
anyone who underwent home quarantine.
As of today, ‘Shlonik’ was downloaded over 623,000 times, where the Ministry of
Health’s teams monitored over 390,000 home-quarantined users via the app. Over
114,000 COVID-positive cases were recorded via the app, where they were
successfully prevented from coming into contact with others. In addition, the
app is currently monitoring over 42,000 active users who are undergoing home
quarantine.
Education programs and supporting youth
Throughout the year 2020, Zain supported numerous education and training
programs that aimed at enriching the local education and youth sector, most of
which came in a virtual format to adhere to health measures posed by the
pandemic. The company awarded the two winning teams of the “Most Innovative
Product/Service” category for university and high school students at the 14th
annual INJAZ Company Program Competition. The event was held online by INJAZ
Kuwait with the participation of over 50 students from across Kuwait’s high
schools and universities.
Zain also participated in recognizing the winners of the KON Social
Entrepreneurship Program during the virtual ceremony held online. The company’s
participation came as part of its Gold sponsorship of the program for the third
year running, which in turn came as part of its Strategic Partnership with LOYAC
that continued last year for over 16 consecutive years.
In addition, Zain was the main partner of the Kuwait Virtual Graduation 2020, a
unique online event that was streamed online and via Kuwait TV to celebrate the
graduation of over 40,000 students from the class of 2020, including high
school, university, and vocational college graduates from both the public and
private sectors. The virtual event came under the patronage of HH the Prime
Minister Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
As part of its keenness to train Arab youth on essential digital skills, Zain
partnered with Maharat Min Google, a virtual initiative launched by Google in
collaboration with INJAZ. 50 Zain employees have taken part in the program to
train young people on a variety of the most essential digital skills demanded by
jobs in the Arab world today.
Zain also sponsored a virtual lecture hosted by Gulf University for Science and
Technology (GUST) in partnership with Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre (ASCC).
The event, held on Instagram Live, featured Aisha Bowe, a former engineer at the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and focused on Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.
Ending violence against women and supporting environmental efforts
Towards the end of 2020, Zain supported the United Nations Secretary-General’s
UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women campaign (UNiTE Campaign). The
initiative called for global action to increase awareness, galvanize advocacy
efforts, and share knowledge and innovations to address violence against women
and girls around the world.
Zain’s contribution to this global campaign came as a continuation of its
collaboration with the United Nations’ various entities, including the UN Women
Regional Office for Arab States. This joint effort reflected Zain’s commitment
to support initiatives and programs that shed light on the importance of
protecting and empowering women, as well as those that enrich gender equality
and inclusion within communities and workplaces.
Zain also took part in Alnowair’s ‘Let’s Do it Kuwait’ campaign, which coincided
with World Cleanup Day on 19 September with the participation of nearly 5000
volunteers. The event, considered the biggest national cleanup campaign in the
history of Kuwait, witnessed the presence of Zain Kuwait CEO Eaman Al-Roudhan,
along with many public and private sector officials, diplomats, and
representatives of global organizations. The event also featured the Kuwait
Army, Ministry of Health, Ministry of State for Municipal Affairs, and the
Environment Public Authority.
Zain’s participation in this national campaign came as part of its extended
partnership with Alnowair, the non-profit initiative that aims at bringing
positive, social behavioral change in Kuwait. The partnership fell under Zain’s
Corporate Sustainability and Social Responsibility strategy, through which the
company is keen on supporting such innovative initiatives that contribute to
reflecting a positive image of the Kuwaiti society.
Virtual Zain Great Idea accelerator program
At the end of 2020, Zain announced the launch of the sixth edition of its Zain
Great Idea (ZGI) tech startup accelerator program, which comes in an all-virtual
format to adhere to the health guidelines posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The
program comes in joint collaboration with Brilliant Lab, a startup Accelerator
Service from Kuwait, and Mind the Bridge, a global organization based in Silicon
Valley that bridges the world through entrepreneurship education for startups,
enterprises, and investors to succeed in global markets.
ZGI offers a refreshed opportunity for local talents and Kuwait’s
entrepreneurial community, as it has been one of the most successful initiatives
Zain presented to the Kuwaiti market as part of its comprehensive innovation and
entrepreneurship strategy. Throughout five successful editions, ZGI empowered,
trained, and invested in hundreds of creative and driven Kuwaiti youth, of which
many now own thriving and active Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to
this day in local and regional markets.
The pandemic did not pose a barrier that prevented Zain from renewing its
commitment to Kuwait’s entrepreneurial community. On the contrary, Zain saw it
as a challenge to reintroduce the program more exceptionally than ever, as the
company is the first to believe in technology’s excellence as an effective and
high-efficient tool to develop skills and train talents. Eligible applicants
will participate in the virtual Bootcamp phase. Throughout four weeks, they will
learn the essentials of accelerating their tech startups via workshops, training
sessions, and panel discussions featured by world-class facilitators and
trainers from top international institutions, including IE Business School, MIT,
Stanford, and more.
If the startup passes the judging panel, entrepreneurs will have the opportunity
to benefit from Zain’s leading experiences in areas that are essential to any
startup, including marketing, advertising, customer care, public relations,
digital partnerships, business/consultancy/legal services, and much more. At the
end of the program, all finalists will be hosted at a virtual Zain Demo Day
event, through which they will present and pitch their final startups to
investors, business partners, and others, giving them the opportunity to
transform their ideas and startups into a profitable business.
In the following report, Zain showcases some of its most notable efforts and
sustainable initiatives that extended throughout the year 2020, especially those
that came as a contribution to protect the community from the ramifications of
the COVID-19 pandemic early in the year: