KUWAIT: In line
with the international campaign '16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based
Violence', ACICO Group sponsored the 'BE STRONG' initiative; a functional,
self-defense training program for women. The initiative was launched by Balsam
International, represented by Kuwaiti fencing champion, Balsam Al-Ayoub, in
cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) regional office
and the US self-defense training program 'Divas in Defense'.

'BE STRONG' was
launched on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of
Violence against Women, which is managed by UN Women. This year's advocacy
theme was Orange the World with the hashtag #HearMeToo; the theme symbolized a
brighter future and a world free of violence against girls and women.

This local
initiative is part of a global development project that aims at ending violence
against women by offering free of cost self-defense courses, using sport as a
tool for change, development and spreading peace; thereby driving true
sustainability and advancing gender equality.

On this occasion,
Deputy Chief Executive Officer of ACICO Group, Ghosson Al-Khaled, said:
"ACICO Group always strives to support and encourage community events such
as these that have a positive impact on the community, particularly initiatives
that focus on women and important international and national issues. Our
sponsorship of this particular initiative aims at supporting their goals of providing
a platform to empower women, as it focuses on fostering women's innate strength
and empowering girls to face life's challenges and any violence they might come
up against."

Khaled added
that, as a Kuwaiti born and bred company, ACICO Group has always sought to be
socially-conscious, set a positive example and impact real change in order to
actively contribute towards building a stronger local community. Accordingly,
ACICO Group seeks to best serve its community, by engaging directly with people
on matters of social importance and creating a safe environment that is
conducive to self-expression and social development.

Balsam Al-Ayoub
lauded ACICO Group for its sponsorship of this initiative as well as its
ongoing support of community-based issues. Ayoub further noted that 'BE STRONG'
was launched as a vital service to the community to become a part of the
solution to stop violence against women and girls in Kuwait by empowering women
and girls both physically and mentally and raising awareness of domestic
violence.

Ayoub added that,
following the remarkable success of last year's 'BE STRONG' self-defense
workshops, where 647 women and girls from 35 nationalities were trained, this
year's initiative featured free certificated workshops for women and girls at
the Kuwait Sports Club, schools, universities and at both private and public
venues as requested.

ACICO Group
remains strongly committed to its positive role within the community. For this
reason, the Group's leading social responsibility program strategically focuses
on making a significant social and national impact. ACICO Group works to
harness its expertise and resources to support individuals and groups, in
addition to offering its support to many deserving and far-reaching local organizations,
initiatives and programs.