ZAIN 2022 All Rights Reserved
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Our Sustainability Agenda
At Zain, our purpose is centered on establishing long lasting value for all stakeholders. We believe it is our responsibility to provide meaningful connectivity to the communities we serve. In 2021, the pandemic continued to pose socio-economic and environmental challenges hindering development and progress. As a digital services provider, the company recognizes the pivotal role it plays in addressing societal discrepancies with the objective of helping contribute to the overall growth of the communities in which we operate.
The five-year corporate sustainability strategy, based on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), reflects the context of each of our markets to ensure it addresses the needs of our communities in an inclusive and equitable manner.
Mission
To provide meaningful connectivity leading to equitable systemic change grounded on the SDGs to ultimately empower Zain’s communities across its footprint.
Vision
Reduce inequalities
Safeguard the planet
Foster innovation
Build prosperous communities
The strategy’s mission and vision are achieved through the following four pillars:
Climate Change
The company recognizes the importance of preserving the planet and its resources and is committed to seeking ways to reduce its carbon footprint, mitigate climate-related risks and identify opportunities that help preserve energy, water and biodiversity.
Social Business
Zain is committed to providing inclusive access to connectivity while reinventing purpose-driven products and services that create social and financial value.
Inclusion
We aim to bridge the divides that currently exist in our operating communities with a specific focus on women in technology, upskilling marginalized and disadvantaged communities, promoting digital inclusion, extending to the elderly and people with disabilities.
Generation Youth
Seeking to empower and build resilience for 16 million children and youth across Zain’s footprint, to safeguard future generations by providing tools that will enable them to reach their maximum potential.
Zain’s Regional Challenges
According to foreignpolicy.com, the Middle East is warming at twice the global average, and by 2050 will be
4 degrees Celsius
warmer as compared with the 1.5 degree mark that scientists have prescribed to save humanity.
Climate change in the region is expected to cause extreme heat for longer periods of time leading to some regions becoming uninhabitable and reducing growing areas for agriculture.
The MENA region is considered the most water stressed region in the world.
In the region,
80%
of total internet connections are expected to be via smartphones in 2025.
Based on research conducted by the World Bank, people with disabilties are more likely to experience poorer health outcomes, lower levels of employment, barriers to digital accessibility, and higher poverty rates.
Around
56%
of women in the MENA region are not considered “internet users” according to UNWOMEN.
More than
28%
of the region’s population are aged between 15-29 years, making this the largest number of young people to transition to adulthood in the region’s history.
Climate Change
As we consider climate change a topic of material importance, we have designated a separate section in the report that delves into how Zain is addressing its environmental impacts.
Social Business:
Zain recognizes the transformative role its products and services play in socio-economic development. Providing inclusive access to connectivity empowers societies at large especially when it comes to marginalized and disadvantaged communities. Through its core and non-core services, the company continued to launch services that provide both social and financial value. Below are some examples of the services provided by Zain across its markets:
Partnership with UNHCR and Facebook
The company continued to provide access to free wi-fi connectivity to 10 refugee centers across Jordan. This year, Zain was able to attract 4,012 unique new users, bringing the total to 728,000.
Zain Iraq Network Expansion
6 networks sites underwent expansion in remote and rural areas in Iraq to provide access to connectivity for 14,798 people in rural communities in 2021.
Packages for People with Disabilities
- Zain Jordan continued to provide Basma Line+, a mobile bundle package targeting 353 people from the deaf and mute community.
- Zain Kuwait launched two postpaid packages dedicated to people with disabilities in collaboration with the Communication & Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA) and the Public Authority of the Disabled in Kuwait.
More information on this package can be found in Our Products and Customers Section online.
Bundles for Students in Saudi Arabia
Given the shift in schooling online, Zain Saudi Arabia partnered with Takaful Foundation and its ‘Education Initiative’ and provided 5,000 students with 10 GB of data at no charge for three months. The company ensured that this service was provided to students coming from disadvantaged communities to ensure the continuation of their education.
Zain Bahrain’s Youth Plan
This year, Zain Bahrain continued to provide youth ranging in age between 16-24 years with a specialized package that provides a monthly rate of 50 GB of data. 800 active users are subscribed to this package.
Inclusion
As we grapple with the pandemic, it is a crucial to ensure plans for recovery are inclusive by design, so no one is left behind. Zain is committed to making sure that its scope of activities is representative, accessible and bridge the divides that exist in our operating markets by:
- Empowering and upskilling marginalized and disadvantaged communities
- Fostering women in STEM fields
- Addressing the needs of the elderly community
- Supporting people with disabilities
Zain’s sustainability strategy continues to push for the inclusion of vulnerable groups through the following:
Marginalized Communities
To ensure the inclusion of workers, Zain Bahrain launched a lite version of its Zain App to include languages other than English & Arabic. Language options extended to Urdu, Bengali and Hindi, to ensure all communities are able to independently access their data usage, bill payments and other services through the Zain App. The total number of users currently stands at 13,941 with over 50,246 hits since launch.
Women in Tech
To foster the development of girls and women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), Zain Group launched the Women in Tech program across its operating markets where female STEM students are matched with seasoned experts from Zain’s operations to be mentored. By creating successful matches, the program aims to enable future generations of females to enter the field with the promise of becoming change-makers in the industry.
The program was designed by consulting and engaging with women who are currently studying STEM to fully address their needs and challenges. A campaign was launched in each operating country to attract women who are passionate about their field but might be facing difficulties.
The mentorship sessions spanned a course of four months with the first phase including monthly meetings and the second included bi-weekly sessions. As it was a pilot, there was freedom to experiment with the participants to understand best practices.
In addition to the mentorship sessions, participants of the program were invited to a gender bias workshop conducted by WISE Campaign, a UK-based leader in creating positive cultural change in STEM sectors with over 37 years of industry experience. A final session was held facilitated by Ishreen Bradley, a keynote speaker, author, and executive coach, who delivered a training session on ‘How to Build your Personal Brand’ for mentees and mentors to confidently achieve their goals.
The mentorship sessions spanned a course of four months with the first phase including monthly meetings and the second included bi-weekly sessions. As it was a pilot, there was freedom to experiment with the participants to understand best practices.
In addition to the mentorship sessions, participants of the program were invited to a gender bias workshop conducted by WISE Campaign, a UK-based leader in creating positive cultural change in STEM sectors with over 37 years of industry experience. A final session was held facilitated by Ishreen Bradley, a keynote speaker, author, and executive coach, who delivered a training session on ‘How to Build your Personal Brand’ for mentees and mentors to confidently achieve their goals.
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mentees participated across Zain’s seven markets where 256 mentorship sessions were given
78%
of respondents of the survey claimed that their mentors helped them in finding an internship program, additional certification, and skill development opportunities outside of university.
100%
of respondents of the survey claimed that by being a mentor they were exposed to new ideas.
94%
of respondents of the survey claimed they would recommend this program to others.
People with Disabilities
This year, Zain Bahrain began its transformation journey by identifying accessible branches and kiosks to prioritize and ensure accessibility, installing signs and ramps for ease of access. The company’s approach is to ensure its physical locations are accessible before tackling processes, products or services. In addition, Zain Bahrain established the ‘Enablement Line’, a hotline for people with hearing impairments to serve as a customer service line. As the service was recently launched, Zain is committed to holding frequent stakeholder engagement processes with relevant parties to ensure we enhance the service and investigate additional solutions.
Throughout Zain’s operating companies, employees are learning how to communicate in sign language to effectively interact with customers or potential hires. The initiative largely targets sales agents to equip them with the right language to better serve customers with hearing impairments. Across Bahrain, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, 75 employees learned basic sign language with plans to conduct periodic training to further enhance their knowledge. Zain Jordan trained 55 of their employees in sign language during 2021 and created a sign language library to allow easy access for employees to learn the basics and keep practicing.
To address the needs of people with disabilities, Zain Iraq launched priority cards for customers with registered disabilities, to bypass waiting lines at Zain’s branches and kiosks, providing faster service.
Zain commemorated International Day of Persons with Disabilities by joining the global movement, #PurpleLightUp, across its operating markets, to acknowledge the economic contribution of the 386 million employees with disabilities around the world.
Generation Youth
COVID-19 continued to highlight the urgent need to support the most vulnerable segments of the community, which includes youth, from a public health perspective, as well as a socio-economic standpoint. The pandemic impacted childhood development across the globe due to school shutdowns and subsequently shifting students to the online space. In addition, youth have become more susceptible to mental health issues coupled with other challenges leading them to become more vulnerable to physical and online abuse. According to UNICEF MENARO, there are 110 million children in the MENA region that do not have access to schools or proper education, restricting their development and exposing them to various developmental risks.
This is of particular importance as the MENA region has the biggest youth bulge worldwide. The youth percentage in our footprint, ranging in ages between 0-24 years, is as follows:
Operating Country | % Of population that are youth |
|---|---|
Bahrain | 33.61% |
Iraq | 56.85% |
Jordan | 52.82% |
Kuwait
| 39.25% |
Saudi Arabia | 40.22% |
Sudan | 62.86% |
South Sudan | 62.95% |
It is revealed by the Youth Arab Survey that 20% of Arab youth faced or were in contact with someone who lost their job due to the pandemic. As an opportunity to bridge inequalities children and youth face across the region, Zain created programs such as career development trainings, internships and startup incubators to prepare youth for the workforce of the future.
Zain Sudan: Call Center with Hawatif (SDG 4.4)
As youth unemployment continues to rise due to the political instability in the country coupled with ramifications of COVID-19, it is estimated that 40% of youth in Sudan are unemployed. To address this challenge and align to SDG 4.4, ensuring youth and adults have relevant employment, Zain Sudan collaborated with Hawatif outsourcing company to train fresh graduates to be employed at call centers. Since 2020, 870 agents have been hired through this program, showcasing the company’s willingness to provide growth opportunities for youth.
Zain Kuwait: Youth Employment
As the pandemic imposed further constraints and pressures on employment opportunities, the country plans to create a well-defined strategy to employ 100,000 citizens in the private sector within four years. This plan, set to be implemented from 2022, aims to reduce the pressure of paying salaries in the public sector, which consumes approximately 60% of the state budget. Zain Kuwait is supporting the government’s plan by preparing and upskilling youth to meet the demands of the private sector.
INJAZ Kuwait
INJAZ Kuwait founded in 2005, is a non-profit organization driven by the Kuwaiti private sector to deliver educational programs and initiatives centered on entrepreneurial skills, financial literacy, and leadership to reduce youth unemployment. Since 2005, INJAZ Kuwait has reached over 70,000 students at over 200 schools and universities with knowledge and experiences to assist them in their personal development and career progression. In 2021, INJAZ trained more than 5,000 students on and offline.
LOYAC
LOYAC is a program that caters to the youth and offers them a healthy and empowering environment to develop their skills and talents in an educational and social environment. Through Zain’s partnership with LOYAC, 2,340 students were trained in their monthly LOYAC program. KON, one of LOYAC’s latest youth development programs, trains students (ages 12-16 years) with social entrepreneurship skills as they are instructed to create startups that are profitable and socially sustainable. For the second consecutive year, the program was held virtually due to the pandemic, with 60 students trained in 2021.
Future University Network
The Future University Network (FUN) is an internal program tailored for university students to develop their skills to foster collaboration and team effectiveness, develop creativity, and enable innovative thinking to prepare them when joining the workforce. University students are recruited as brand ambassadors for youth at Zain Kuwait. In 2021, the FUN program interned 33 students.
Zain Great Idea 6
Zain continued to collaborate with Brilliant Lab for its sixth edition of the Zain Great Idea program (ZGI) to incubate and accelerate tech entrepreneurs across the region. Established in 2010, ZGI empowered, trained, and invested in over 1,500 Kuwaiti and Arab youth. To date, investments in ZGI startups amount to well over KWD 6 million (USD 20m), with 30% of ZGI’s alumni now owning thriving businesses across local and regional markets.
This year, ZGI 6 was held virtually due to health restrictions and safety protocols. Despite the remote setting, 170 ambitious applicants across the MENA region applied, of whom 114 took part in the virtual bootcamp with 60 entrepreneurs being qualified to the final phase. In the end, 25 deserving finalists from seven countries made it to the final phase and pitched their ideas to potential investors and business partners. In addition, ZGI 6 saw the highest-ever turnout of female entrepreneurs in the program’s history.
Child Online Safety
One of the focus areas under Zain’s Generation Youth pillar assesses the development and impact of initiatives that are dedicated to online safety for children.
Internet Monsters
Zain launched a media campaign entitled ‘Internet Monsters’ raising awareness on online safety for children and the risks children might face whilst online. Internet Monsters was developed in response to increased online activity due to the pandemic. The campaign is based on classic fairytales with a modern twist to depict what is currently occurring in the digital world. Zain depicted the classic children’s stories of Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood, showcasing the villains in each story from a digital point-of-view, with them emerging from laptop screens, smartphones, tablets and TV screens, which signify gaming. The digitization of the classic stories, reflected against a backdrop of different digital mediums, is meant to help children visualize and relate to the threats faced online, and understand that there are many ways to counter them. The main objective of Zain’s online safety campaign is to reiterate the importance of this issue, and advocate for parents and caregivers to stay vigilant and aware of the risks, emphasizing that people are not always who they might present themselves to be online. The campaign successfully reached 66.3 million impressions across Zain’s footprint.
Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM)
According to a study conducted by the Economist Impact and WeProtect Global Alliance, it is estimated that 44% of 18-20 year olds in the MENA region faced some sort of sexual abuse and exploitation in their childhood. To cement its firm stance on instilling children’s rights in everything the company does, Zain assessed various blocking mechanisms for CSAM to be implemented Group-wide. Through extensive stakeholder engagement with regulators, it was noted that five of our operations possess existing CSAM blocking filters embedded within their networks due to regulatory requirements.
Zain is currently working with the Canadian Center for Children Protection to integrate Project Arachnid, software to reduce the availability of CSAM globally. Project Arachnid discovers CSAM by crawling URLs previously reported to Cybertip.ca, as well as those reported directly into the Arachnid API. The company successfully integrated Project Arachnid in Kuwait and is currently working on integrating it across its markets. Zain Sudan uses Internet Watch Foundation’s solution, a UK-based charity that provides software to filter, remove and block CSAM, on its network.
UNICEF
This year, Zain’s Global MoU with UNICEF focused on the implementation of a three-year regional partnership to support the rights of children and youth in all of Zain’s operating markets. Through this partnership, Zain was able to set the foundations in each market. The company is already witnessing impacts occurring on the ground by supporting the COVID-19 vaccine roll out and scaling up government responses, providing digital learning solutions to the most vulnerable and raising awareness of child rights.
Jordan
As part of a successful strategic collaboration, UNICEF partnered with Zain Jordan to tackle socio-economic barriers to connectivity, considered to be one of the main challenges that young people face in the region as it ultimately hinders the continuity of their education. Jordan’s Learning Passport provides zero-rate access on both the website and mobile application for all Zain users regardless of their location or connectivity status to overcome and bridge the digital divide. The Learning Passport’s off-line mode also enables those with low internet bandwidth to access all the materials and download educational content. Young people using the Youth Learning Passport will have the opportunity to become digitally savvy and market-ready, as Jordan emerges from COVID-19 lockdown measures.
Jordan’s Learning Passport was launched under the patronage of the Ministry of Youth and Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship. Both ministries are utilizing the platform for the delivery of different programs and trainings to adolescents and youth, training facilitators and tracking the learning process. Additionally, through UNICEF’s partnership with several stakeholders from the public and private sectors as well as other organizations, the Learning Passport will be utilized even further to reach a wider audience and ensure sustainability of the platform.
Currently, the Learning Passport has approximately 14,000 enrolled users (70% females) who have access to 81 different courses and 1,209 lessons including English Language, basic and advanced digital skills, life skills, social innovation, financial literacy, technical and vocational education and training courses including jewelry making and carpentry, child protection basics, and a specially tailored Gender Equality Package that focuses on developing girls’ skills and raising their awareness. The Learning Passport is a centralized platform comprising most of the courses UNICEF Jordan offers to young people to build the skills needed to excel in both their professional and personal lives. Additionally, given UNICEF’s large following on social media platforms, information on the Learning Passport and the content it offers continues to reach many young people.
During 2021, over 6,000 Ministry of Education liaison officers across Jordan successfully trained on the topic of distant learning and remote delivery of training sessions using the Learning Passport.
Iraq
In 2021, through their partnership, UNICEF and Zain jointly worked on the following activities:
The International Youth Day event was celebrated on 12 August in Anbar in partnership with the Directorate of Youth and Sports. The event consisted of a youth-led discussion with decision makers to identify challenges and recommend solutions around the global theme of transforming food systems in Iraq, specifically in Anbar. The event targeted around 50 young people (40 per cent were female).
911 wi-fi devices and annual subscriptions were provided for COVID-19 vaccination service delivery points, health districts, and provincial vaccine stores, enabling the use of digital platforms for registration and vaccine management as well as for the communication of performance reports and adverse events surveillance data on a real-time basis.
UNICEF currently supports the roll-out of e-Perwerde, Kurdistan regional MoE’s Education Management Information System (EMIS). Upon request from UNICEF and the government, Zain provided internet access to the e-Perwerde system at no charge, enabling targeted schools to enter, collect and analyze relevant data.
Sudan
In October 2021, Zain supported the launch of the Learning Passport in Sudan with UNICEF and the Ministry of Education providing zero-rated access to the platform across Zain’s network. To date, the platform has approximately 2,112 active users.
Online Protection
Zain Esports and UNICEF collaborated to develop an Online Safety Booklet to help youth remain safe while enjoying online gaming activities. The Online Safety Booklet supports youth in being aware of key risks associated with the online world and provides actionable guidance reducing online risks. The booklet was piloted with a school in Kuwait that was setting up an e-sports tournament. UNICEF and Zain are now working to explore how to embed online protection learning within education systems across the region. In addition, Zain Saudi Arabia localized the Online Safety Booklet to include it in its parental controls page of the website. For more information on the ‘Online Booklet’, visit ‘Our Products and Customers’.
MO-CRIA: Childs Rights Impact Self-Assessment Tool for Mobile Operators
As children and young people currently account for nearly half of the region’s population, it is our duty to ensure that their rights are considered in everything we do. At Zain, we understand that while statements and policies are important, the company is creating sustainable change by ensuring children’s rights are represented in the company’s practices. This is done through monitoring and assessing transparent disclosures from each function within the organization.
To adhere to best practices, Zain utilized UNICEF’s Child’s Rights Impact Assessment Tool for Mobile Operators (MO-CRIA) to assess the challenges, gaps and opportunities related to children’s rights within all business activities. While conducting the extensive MO-CRIA assessment, the company engaged with various stakeholders, such as the human resources team, commercial, sustainability, technology and networks, to fully understand the policies, procedures and actions that are set in place for ensuring children’s safety. The company highlighted priority actions that can be taken to improve the company’s impacts on children and listed missing gaps that need to be addressed.
Vaccine Drive
The annual Zain Ramadan campaign was executed this year in support of UNICEF to address the challenge of vaccine hesitancy across the region and encourage COVID-19 vaccine uptakes. To learn more about our campaign tackling vaccine hesitancy, please visit ‘Zain’s Response to COVID-19’.
Zain’s Community Outreach
Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with serious illness, and focuses on enhancing the patient and their family’s quality of life. In the Arab world, topics such as illness and death are kept private due to cultural taboos revolving end-of-life care. To address this deficit, in 2018 Zain partnered with SANAD, an NGO based in Lebanon and a field leader with a vision to help strengthen home palliative and hospice care in the MENA region. SANAD is working on raising awareness on the importance of palliative care among the general public and help support institutions in different countries build palliative care functions based on its framework.
In addition, SANAD’s processes and capacity-building activities are undergoing a digital transformation to enable its staff to provide:
- Virtual practical observership, a type of hands-on shadowing experience
- Virtual shadowing, where external staff can learn by watching SANAD’s staff
- Telehealth palliative service to support patients living outside SANAD’s geographical scope or in case of crisis situations such as COVID-19 exposure, rock blockage and other challenges
The scope of SANAD’s work extends to Kuwait, Sudan, Bahrain, and recently expanded in Lebanon to include West Beqaa.
Zain Group and SANAD Partnership
Project Name | Location | Objective | Achievements |
|---|---|---|---|
Palliative Care Advancement in Kuwait | Kuwait | The objective of this project is to enhance palliative care in Kuwait by implementing capacity-building and awareness raising activities targeting healthcare professionals and the public. | SANAD engaged with the Ministry of Health in Kuwait to obtain approval to conduct capacity-building training at the Palliative Care Center in Kuwait.
SANAD signed a memorandum of understanding with the Palliative Care Association in Kuwait to conduct awareness campaigns targeting nurses, healthcare students, and the public. |
Establishment of a Home-based Palliative Care Service Model in Sudan | Sudan | The objective of this project is to support the Khartoum Oncology Hospital Palliative Care department to enhance its current informal home hospice model. | In May 2021, SANAD held virtual theoretical training sessions for 10 staff members at the Khartoum Oncology Hospital. However, due to protests causing connectivity issues, the online training was halted. The training resumed in August 2021, where seven Sudanese staff members including three physicians, three nurses and one psychologist travelled to Lebanon for a month-long practical shadowing experience.
In addition to capacity building, SANAD supported the Sudan team by assisting the creation of policies, medical record forms, and quality indicators. SANAD also provided the Sudan team a list of equipment and supplies needed to start preparing for the enhancement of their current hospice care. |
Mental Health in Palliative Care Training in the MENA region | Lebanon,
Bahrain | The overall objective of this project is to raise awareness and enhance knowledge about mental health in palliative care in six countries. | In December 2021, SANAD conducted workshops for Al Haykal Hospital in Tripoli and Sanabel AlNour, an NGO that supports underprivileged patients in covering their healthcare costs. The workshop addressed mental health in the scope of palliative care and targeted 20 staff members from Al Haykal Hospital, including nurses and physicians as well as six social workers from Sanabel AlNour.
In Bahrain, SANAD held meetings with the Bahrain Cancer Association to explore options in conducting a workshop regarding mental health in palliative care. |
SANAD app-Telehealth and Electronic Medical Record | Virtual use | The overall objective of this project is to develop an electronic medical record system and patient application for SANAD. | SANAD is currently exploring options with Zain Group’s Investments & Digital Services (GID) team to develop a telehealth app and electronic medical record. |
Digitization of SANAD’s Capacity-Building Material in Lebanon | Lebanon | The objective of this project is to digitize SANAD’s capacity building material and develop a telehealth palliative service | As a response to COVID-19, SANAD developed material to address and virtually conduct the three phases of capacity building including practical observership , shadowing, and independently practicing palliative care. The aim is to offer effective capacity building virtually. |
SANAD Hospice Services Expansion to West Beqaa | West Beqaa,
Lebanon | The objective of this project is to expand SANAD’s provision of hospice care to West Beqaa, Lebanon. | In Lebanon, SANAD expanded its service provision to West Beqaa to address a deficiency as there is a high percentage of cancer cases and no hospice care.
As illness and death are considered taboo in the culture, SANAD is addressing this by raising awareness through field visits with hospitals, social, and educational organizations, pharmacies and mayors of municipalities. |
