CSR in Focus: Dallah AlBaraka Initiatives

Dallah Albaraka is a Saudi business conglomerate with global perspective. It has investments worldwide in the developed world as well as across the developing nations.

Dallah Albaraka Holding Group

The primary vision of the founder, Sheikh Saleh Kamel, is to explore the potential growth of local societies by investing in educating, training and qualifying the youth and utilizing resources to implement national projects and turn them into feasible investments. The business of Dallah Albaraka Holding Group varies between banking; industry; real-estate; healthcare; media; trade; operation and maintenance. Throughout 47 years, Dallah Albaraka succeeded in turning rural areas into civilizations and suburbs into world-class resorts. Its commitment to the society is crystalized by establishing a full-fledged CSR department with integrated functions and initiatives. It targets multiple segments of the society, mainly the youth and women to provide them with the necessary skills to volunteer, to encourage scientific creativity and knowledge, to support for women to become entrepreneurs, and to instill the culture of good citizenship and to promote values and ethics.

Following are the cornerstones of Dallah Albaraka CSR

Business incubator in Makkah

This project focuses on training and qualifying low-income households, and provide them with basic knowledge of business management and cost accounting fundamentals. They are taught sewing; embroidery and handicrafts. They are also equipped with the necessary tools and raw materials at the end of the incubating programs. The program also provides trainees with. This would help them to work conveniently from home, and in addition, the incubator would open markets to provide sustainable demand for their products.

Read more about: A Business Journey

Fabrication Laboratory (Fab Lab)

The project aims to unleash scientific creativity of the young thinkers and other segments to convert their thoughts into reality using the latest technology. This project is an initiative of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the world leading university in Engineering and Applied Sciences). Dallah Albaraka teamed up with MIT to utilize latest technologies in favor of the Saudi youth.

Fab Lab Arabia features industrial engineering and electronic instruments, including laser cutters; 3D printers; and other electronic equipment which are put at the disposal of trainees and university students who exceeded 2,500 users in 2015.

Dallah Academy for Volunteerism

A standalone complex, first of its kind in the Middle East is dedicated for educating, training and qualifying volunteers from both sexes. The Academy organized and hosted the first forum for leaders of voluntary work in the region. This contributes to the development of volunteer work infrastructures. Dallah Academy holds ongoing training programs and workshops at its headquarters, in addition to networking with other players to achieve community integration and enhance relations between various stakeholders in voluntary work. The Academy also launched the first ever TV and radio advertising campaign and through digital media to increase awareness of the importance of volunteerism. A subsequent campaign was launched last Ramadan as a live daily radio show encouraging volunteers to participate from various Saudi cities.

Good citizenship

Dallah CSR launches ongoing initiatives and campaigns aiming at consolidating the values of good citizenship.

A prominent initiative was a YouTube episode about values and compassion; starring top YouTube stars in the Kingdom. This episode succeeded in creating positive reactions from various segments of society.

The Saudi National Day is an annual occasion where citizens celebrate and express their loyalty to their homeland. For this occasion, Dallah CSR produces state-of-art videos and TVC’s and broadcast them on leading TV and radio networks.

Dallah CSR utilizes new media in all of its campaigns and initiatives, and is continually reaching more segments and expanding participation of the public audience.