Zain Ramadan campaign embodied Holy Month’s values

Company’s biggest social campaign reached out to entire community

 

- Nearly 1k ‘Machla’ supplies delivered to underprivileged families.

- Total of 42k Iftar meals served in partnership with Grand Mosque and Food Bank.

- Hundreds participated in Zain’s Holy Quran Recitation Competition in Grand Mosque.

- Over 800 contestants joined the third Zain Ramadan Challenge at Shaheed Park.

 

Kuwait, 14 April 2024

Every Ramadan, the Zain Alshuhoor campaign strives to embody the values of giving, compassion, and generosity. It's the company's major yearly effort to engage the entire community, reflecting cherished Kuwaiti traditions and promoting love, peace, and togetherness.

To create a bigger impact, Zain partnered this year with six strategic partners from the public and private sectors: the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Grand Mosque of Kuwait, the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS), the Kuwait Food Bank, the Public Authority for Disability Affairs, and Suffix Events. Through these partnerships, the company presented a plethora of volunteer, humanitarian, charitable, social, religious, and sports programs that continued throughout the Holy Month.

 

Food supplies initiative covered the needs of underprivileged families

 

Ramadan ‘Machla’ initiative

Zain kicked-off its Ramadan campaign with the food supplies (Machla) initiative, delivering nearly 1000 boxes of essential food supplies to underprivileged communities through three strategic partners: the Social Care Centers of the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS), and the Kuwait Food Bank - all official, recognized organizations.

In a step that showed the Zain family’s commitment to bring about positive social impact in the community, members of the Zain Alshuhoor volunteer team – that consisted of Zain employees from across the company’s divisions and departments – gathered at Zain’s headquarters in Shuwaikh to prepare the food supplies. Foodstuffs were categorized and distributed into boxes ahead of their delivery to the three organizations. 

The food supplies were delivered to the Social Care Centers of the Ministry of Social Affairs, where they were presented to residents of the centers, including foster care children, elderly individuals, and people with special needs. The supply boxes were also delivered to the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) and the Kuwait Food Bank, presented to underprivileged families and individuals across the nation. The initiative continued throughout the month.

 

Zain’s Iftar Hall at the Great Mosque welcomed fasting individuals daily

 

Iftar meals initiative

This year, Zain’s annual Iftar initiative to serve fasting individuals came back in its 17th year, this time in strategic partnership with the Grand Mosque of Kuwait and the Kuwait Food Bank. A total of 42,000 meals were served throughout the entire month.

The Iftar initiative is a main pillar of Zain’s annual social program during the Holy Month. Meals were served daily at the Grand Mosque’s main tent, along with meals distributed through trucks across Kuwait in strategic partnership with the Kuwait Food Bank.

The initiative was directly supervised and organized by Zain’s team to ensure the quality of all the meals delivered. In addition, members of the Zain Alshuhoor volunteer team supported the initiative.

 

Zain Kuwait CEO Nawaf Algharabally with Zain Alshuhoor volunteers

 

Humanitarian and social visits

As it does every year, Zain was keen on organizing humanitarian and social visits to share the blessings and joys of the Holy Month with the entire community. The company hosted a special Ramadan Iftar banquet at Abdali Border Port for Ministry of Interior (MOI) and Customs personnel. The step came to recognize the unwavering commitment demonstrated by the port's staff year-round, particularly during the Holy Month, to protect Kuwait and its people.

In addition, the Zain Alshuhoor volunteer team has visited pediatric wards at the Zain Otolaryngology Specialized Hospital and Jaber Al Ahmad Hospital to celebrate the local Ramadan tradition of Girgeaan (candy distribution) with children, their families, and medical staff. The initiative reflected the deeply rooted spirit of giving during the Holy Month.

The visits came in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, where members of the Zain Alshuhoor volunteer team distributed Girgeaan candy, gifts, and toys to the children, greatly uplifting not only the spirits of the young patients but also those of their families and the medical staff present.

 

The third Zain Ramadan Challenge at Shaheed Park promoted a healthy and active lifestyle

 

Health and sports programs

For the third year running, the Zain Alshaheed Park Ramadan Challenge kicked-off in strategic partnership with Suffix Events. The health & sports program was highly successful, drawing over 800 participants who competed and collected kilometers to top the leaderboard.

The competition’s third season was a great success, with over 800 participants joining in four different age groups each for males and females: 20 years and below, 20-34 years, 35-49 years, and 50+ years. In addition, the Zain Kids Race was joined by over 280 children, and over 50 participants with special needs joined the Down Syndrome Day race.

The challenge ran for 9 consecutive days at Alshaheed Park and offered people of all ages a great opportunity to join by speed-walking or running at their own time and pace. Participants collected distance points based on how many kilometers they covered and competed to top the leaderboard. Those who wanted extra points joined the special workouts held at the park.

In addition, Zain hosted a thrilling Ramadan football tournament for its employees, with 16 teams competing for the championship title at Nazwa Football Fields in Bnaid Al-Gar. The competition encouraged the teamwork spirit between members of the Zain family and promoted a healthy and active lifestyle during the Holy Month.

Sports competitions are a key part of Zain’s internal communications strategy, which closely focuses on bringing engaging health and sports programs to employees. The company remains committed to the wellbeing of its staff by organizing competitions in various sports all year round, especially during Ramadan to promote an active and healthy lifestyle during the month of fasting.

 

Hundreds of vehicles drove to Zain’s HQ to celebrate Girgeaan

 

Girgeaan celebrations

Girgeaan, the much cherished local tradition of distributing candy and sweets to children during Ramadan, is an integral part of Zain’s campaign every year, where it shares the joys of this special time with the everyone in the community. The company hosted its special Girgeaan celebration in partnership with the Ministry of Social Affairs’ Social Care Centers and the Public Authority for Disability Affairs, bringing joy to foster care children, people with special needs, and elderly individuals.

Furthermore, Zain has brought back its highly anticipated drive-thru Girgeaan celebration in collaboration with Wainkoum for the second year running, where hundreds of vehicles drove towards Zain’s headquarters in Shuwaikh to join the one-of-a-kind celebration.

This event came under the umbrella of Zain’s annual Ramadan social campaign, Zain Alshuhoor, which aimed at sharing the joys and blessings of the Holy Month with the entire community, especially with children and young people who shape its most vibrant segment. Ramadan brought a wonderful opportunity to experience local traditions like Girgeaan, which the company celebrated every year with a fresh and distinctive approach.

In addition, Zain continued to support the annual Girgeaan celebration organized by Al Kharafi Center for Special Needs Activities. The event featured fun and interactive programs that brought joy to children with special needs and their families. The joyful event featured many entertaining segments, like on-stage traditional acts performed by the center’s children, engaging competitions and interactive programs designed to nurture their creative talents, and more. At the end of the event, Zain’s team joined in giving out Girgeaan candy to the children and their families, bringing joy to everyone.

 

Zain’s competition encouraged young people to pursue Holy Quran recitation

 

Holy Quran Recitation Competition

Zain hosted its first Holy Quran Recitation Competition in strategic partnership with the Grand Mosque of Kuwait. The contest, which aimed to encourage the community to pursue recitation of the Holy Quran and embody its values, offered prizes for the first three winners in each of the six categories.

The competition ran for two consecutive days at the Grand Mosque’s Western Hall and featured three age groups each for males and females: 7-12, 13-18, and 19-25 years. The contest was supervised by a certified judges panel from the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in collaboration with the Grand Mosque, and Zain presented incentive cash prizes to the first three winners in each category.

In a step to engage its employees in its community programs and initiatives, Zain also held the fourth Holy Quran Recitation Competition for employees and their children. The competition was also held at the Grand Mosque, and the first three winners in each of the six categories were awarded with cash prizes as well.

 

Media partnerships

Every Ramadan, Zain diversifies the content of its campaign to include cultural and recreational programs on the biggest media channels to bring itself closer to customers and audiences alike. This year, Zain partnered with Kuwait TV for the highly popular ‘Iftar Canon’ daily program that received wide interaction and participation. The company also partnered with Al Rai TV to sponsor the popular talk show with Kuwaiti star Nabeel Shuail for the third consecutive season, as well as the documentary program presented by media personality Omar Al Othman that shed light on Kuwait’s humanitarian efforts.

In addition, Zain partnered with 360 FM to sponsor ‘Mukhalat’ program for the second consecutive year. The popular daily radio show, presented by radio host Khalid Al Ansari, offered prizes to listeners throughout the Holy Month. Zain also sponsored a special cooking show in partnership with Raha, the e-commerce grocery platform, which hosted social media influencers and professional chefs every day.