KUWAIT: In 2023, Zain continued its pledge to actively participate in the nation’s biggest and most vibrant segments, becoming closer to its customers and the entire Kuwaiti community. Throughout the year, the company has contributed a plethora of programs, initiatives, and campaigns that covered every aspect of the community to reflect the values of its brand and achieve its vision of creating ‘A Wonderful World’.

To make this vision a reality, Zain has outlined a comprehensive sustainability and social responsibility strategy, which inspired every program and initiative the company undertook from the first day of the year. These contributions centered around a number of pillars, such as shouldering sports and local athletes, supporting volunteer efforts during Ramadhan, fostering innovation and nurturing the youth’s creativity, empowering entrepreneurs and accelerating tech startups, and doubling down on efforts to serve sustainable goals.

Zain believes that its success and distinguished track of social contributions during the year was only possible thanks to a solid and versatile ecosystem of strategic partnerships with civil society establishments, NGOs, international entities, volunteer groups, and key public and private sector players. Hand in hand with its partners, Zain contributed to empowering community members to pursue their passion and achieve outstanding successes under Kuwait’s name in every field.

In this report, Zain showcases some of its most notable social activities and community programs from 2023:

In 2023, Zain took its support of sports beyond Kuwait’s borders by supporting Kuwaiti athletes in the biggest local, regional, and international sporting arenas. In January, the company dedicated 10 buses and three trips to transport over 400 of Kuwait’s loyal football fans to the Arab Gulf Cup competition ‘Khaleeji Zain 25’ held in Basra, Iraq with Zain Group as the title sponsor, where they cheered on Kuwait’s National Team.

The company also continued its year-long support of the thrills of Kuwait’s top football flight in partnership with the Kuwait Football Association. The partnership included the biggest two contests: the Kuwait Premier League (Dawri Zain) and the Zain First Division League, as well as support to H.H. the Amir’s Cup, H.H. the Crown Prince’s Cup, and the KFA Cup (Zain Cup).

The company continued its pledge to support athletes and promote excellence in the league, dedicating - this season alone - over KD 60,000 worth of cash prizes for players and fans, the biggest prize pool in the local league’s history.

Zain also interacted with fans through its special fan zones, hosting exciting activities to create the best atmosphere for fans, especially during big games like derbies and finals. Spectators at stadiums and followers on social media got the chance to compete in special contests and win valuable prizes.

Last year, Zain was also the proud Official Partner of Team Kuwait at the 19th Asian Games, held in Hangzhou, China, in collaboration with the Kuwait Olympic Committee. The company’s team accompanied the nation’s athletes and administrators to China, reflecting its unwavering support to local sports in the biggest international arenas.

The company was keen on being among the first to welcome the returning champions at Kuwait International Airport, expressing its utmost pride in the accomplishments of Kuwaiti athletes in the biggest competitions. Team Kuwait’s total tally reached 11 medals at the end of the Hangzhou games, with three Golds, four Silvers, and four Bronzes.

In 2023, Zain concluded yet another successful season of its annual social campaign for the Holy Month of Ramadan, Zain Alshuhoor. The month-long program saw the company join the Kuwaiti community in sharing the blessings of the Holy Month with a plethora of social and humanitarian contributions.

The campaign kicked-off by delivering ‘Ramadan Machla’ (food supplies) to underprivileged families in collaboration with three of Zain’s non-profit strategic partners. In addition, Zain’s volunteers team directly distributed supplies at Taimaa, Jahra in partnership with KRCS.

Zain’s Iftar program also came back for its 16th year, where the company provided daily meals at the Iftar hall in Ardiya throughout month, while also distributing meals across Kuwait via trucks in partnership with the Kuwait Food Bank. The program saw nearly 40,000 meals distributed throughout Ramadan.

In one of the company’s most notable social programs in Ramadan, Zain hosted a special event to celebrate the Kuwaiti tradition of Girgeaan (candy distribution) at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor’s Social Care Centers. The event came in partnership with the Public Authority for Disability Affairs to share the joys and blessings of the Holy Month with foster care children, people with special needs, and the elderly.

In recognition of the tremendous efforts of frontliners during the Holy Month, Zain hosted a special Ramadan Iftar banquet for personnel operating at Nuwaiseeb Border Port. The step came as a gesture of gratitude and appreciation to the staff of the Ministry of Interior and Customs who dedicate their time and effort to Kuwait’s safety.

To promote fitness during the Holy Month, the company continued to present the Zain Ramadan Challenge at Al Shaheed Park, which featured walkathons and marathons throughout Ramadhan, with advanced technology solutions used to monitor the participants’ progress. Zain also organized a first-of-its-kind drive-thru Girgeaan celebration at its main HQ in Shuwaikh, which witnessed a great turnout.

Towards the end of the Holy Month, Zain partnered with the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs to present hospitality services and facilitate the transportation of worshippers at the Grand Mosque of Kuwait during Qiyaam prayers throughout the last 10 days of Ramadan. The company also shared the blessings of Eid prayers with worshippers during the first day of Eid.

Delivering on its annual promise to bring the most spectacular of theatrical performances to its loyal fans, Zain presented its all-new play “Nothing is Ever Like Zain” with daily mesmerizing shows throughout Eid holiday at the Arena Kuwait. Mixing stunning theatrical performances with the latest technologies, the company presented a show like no other, reflecting positive values and hosting top local and regional stars.

In 2023, Zain kicked-off Innovation Nation, its new initiative under which all of the company’s innovation and entrepreneurship programs fall, especially within STEM areas. The initiative mainly targets the youth, and centers around a number of pillars, including entrepreneurship, investment, startup acceleration, supporting inventors, fostering innovation, and more.

Under this initiative, Zain signed an MoU with Sabah Al Ahmad Center for Giftedness and Creativity (SACGC) to build a new strategic partnership that focuses on elevating the digital literacy of the youth, empower creativity and innovation, and enhance the local startup ecosystem in the community. The partnership saw many successful programs throughout the year, most notably a summer camp that developed digital and tech skills of over 800 children and young people through over 130 workshops and informative sessions.

Zain also signed an MoU with the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) to reflect their unwavering efforts to support and grow the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems in the community. The two organizations joined forces to accelerate capacity building, upskill national talents in the private sector, grow research & development in innovation, enable social enterprises, and empower local entrepreneurs. One of the most notable programs under this partnership was Science Month, an initiative that encouraged Kuwaiti youth to pursue STEM careers.

2023 also saw the successful conclusion of the seventh season of the company’s award-winning Zain Great Idea tech startup accelerator program, which early in the year was recognized with the E-Business Award from the prestigious Entrepreneur Middle East magazine. Zain’s program was awarded ‘Ecosystem Enabler of the Year’ to acknowledge the company’s ever-growing endeavors in accelerating the regional tech startups ecosystem and empowering entrepreneurs in Kuwait and the region throughout 13 years.

In its 7th season, ZGI continued on its core mission, but grew in its vision, and expanded its programs to new horizons. With it, the company opened a bridge to connect aspiring entrepreneurs to the biggest destinations that target business owners in the region, including Dubai, Riyadh, and Cairo.

In addition, Zain and SACGC became the official Kuwait Country Partners of Beban, the regional entrepreneur reality TV show, joining forces to include and enable Kuwaiti entrepreneurs’ participation in the upcoming third season of the show which will air in January 2024.

Through Beban, Zain and SACGC offered 40 Kuwaiti entrepreneurs the opportunity to undergo an intensive 2-week training bootcamp at the Zain Innovation Campus (ZINC). During the bootcamp, entrepreneurs were provided with insights to enhance their business plans and ensure their readiness to pitch their businesses to a panel of investors for strategic business development and equity investment on the TV show, where 5 shortlisted Kuwaiti entrepreneurs were accepted to represent Kuwait in the program.

Innovation Nation initiative empowered youth’s creativity and tech skills.

Company transported Kuwait’s fans to Khaleeji Zain in Basra.

Zain travelled to the Asian Games in China with Kuwait’s champions.

Zain Alshuhoor’s volunteers built bridges during Ramadan.