KUWAIT: Zain Group, a leading provider of innovative technologies and digital lifestyle communications, operating in eight markets across the Middle East and Africa, has entered a regional first-of-its-kind strategic partnership with ‘Be My Eyes’ to provide instant visual assistance for people who are blind or have low vision. Following a series of successful pilots across Zain markets, the new group-wide partnership with Be My Eyes will see Zain personnel regularly act as sighted volunteers on the Be My Eyes platform.

Be My Eyes develops and runs the largest and fastest-growing accessibility app for the blind and low vision community worldwide, with approximately 700,000 users globally of which close to 100,000 are Arabic-speaking blind users. The recipient of several innovation and accessibility awards, Be My Eyes also has over 7.7 million volunteers, spread across 150+ countries providing support in 180+ languages.

The collaboration will see Be My Eyes educate and facilitate 16 volunteering events, over a period of a year, for Zain employees, with each event lasting four hours and up to 100 personnel. The volunteering events will allow Zainers to sign up and answer one-way video, two-way audio calls from people in need of some sort of assistance. In practice, once the volunteer gets the video call, they will answer user questions about anything the user’s smartphone camera can see, such as reading a document, identifying where something is, in their home, school or workplace, describing a new environment, and many other potential scenarios.

Commenting on the initiative, Bader Al-Kharafi, Zain Vice-Chairman and Group CEO, said, “We are an operator from the region and for the region, passionate about community programs that add meaningful connectivity to all people we have the privilege of serving and beyond. We are proud of our record of introducing new solutions and initiatives to the region for the first time, and our collaboration with Be My Eyes reflects our commitment to inclusion by harnessing technology to better serve the global community.”

“At Be My Eyes, we are thrilled to partner with Zain Group, a leader in the digital landscape across the Middle East and Africa. This collaboration represents a significant step forward in our mission to make the world more accessible for blind and low-vision individuals,” said Mike Buckley, CEO of Be My Eyes. “Together, we are not only enhancing accessibility but also fostering meaningful connections that provide information, with speed and elegance, about a world not designed for the blind.”

Summary of ‘Inclusive’ initiatives

Zain is one of the most active companies regionally with respect to providing access to people with disabilities having implemented a fully-fledged disability inclusive strategy, reflecting its commitment to fostering technology to support this community. Zain has introduced an array of initiatives under its Disability’s WE ABLE program, most recently, in August 2024, having over 80 of its people with disabilities (PWDs), the company introduced ‘The Masters’, an Employee Resource Group made up of approximately 25 PWDS all with a collective purpose of enabling them to create, lead, and shape their experiences at Zain through a focus on four core impact areas: (1) Disability Inclusion Strategy (2) Accessibility in Decision-Making (3) Learn and Lead (4) Voice and Visibility.

Over recent years, Zain also introduced in Jordan, a service to allow people with low vision, blind, hearing impaired, or deaf individuals to interact with contracts and understand their terms through an audio-visual video available through scanning a QR Code located in Zain showrooms across the Kingdom. Moreover, the company’s Grow program saw the training of 28 fresh graduates with disabilities teaching them valuable lessons and knowledge and skills related to mastering job interviews, business technology, teamwork and tools that resulted in the recruitment of 10 graduates to join Zain full-time.

Other initiatives include celebrating Braille Day by teaching employees Braille; celebrating World Hearing Day by conducting health checks and tests for employees; Sign language trainings for more than 350 employees; holding multiple sessions where employees are taught about disability and accessibility; a strategic partnership with Purplespace, the world’s only professional development hub for disability network leaders; Physical accessibility audits of all Zain headquarters across all markets; and implementation of “Reasonable Accommodations and Accessibility Guidelines.”

Zain’s strategic partnership with Be My Eyes will result in having more volunteers from the company’s eight country footprint on the app to act as volunteers for the Be My Eyes user community. The innovative and personal approach aligns with both Zain’s Corporate Sustainability program; and the Disability program’s ‘We ABLE’ initiative focusing on empowering its people to practice social responsibility, fostering a society where everyone has equal opportunities to dream and succeed.