Corporate Social Responsibility:The principles of Islam applied to business

The beauty of Yemeni culture is in the kind-hearted nature of the people.

They are a generous people who don’t hesitate to invite a stranger into their home for tea, or stop what they are doing to help someone whose car is broken down or who just needs directions. It is a culture of caring for the needy and giving to the poor which is deeply rooted in Islam.

And so it should be no surprise that the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility is emerging. With all of the problems confronting Yemen, companies are taking it upon themselves not just to give back to the community, but to try and change the future of Yemen.

Universal Group is familiar with the term Corporate Social Responsibility; since their establishment they have been giving back to the community. Their most recent project, al-Khair Foundation for Social Development, was initiated in 2007, and was launched in July of 2009. Alwan S. al-Shaibani, the Chairman of Universal Group, initiated the program, whose aim is to provide young graduates with professional training and promising jobs and to combat illiteracy in rural areas, especially among women and girls, in order to empower them to become self-reliant.

“Our religion and heritage has taught us these solidarity principals. Some examples are visible around Yemen; Sheba Dam, revolution, Unity, etc. are all strong examples of social responsibility. We find many business families participate in many social causes, and indulge in spending money, time and effort.” Mazen S. al-Shaibani, Marketing Manager of Universal Group, explained.

Universal has invested more than $60,000 in the establishment of al-Khair Foundation. The foundation has operations in Marib, al-Jawf, and Shabwah. Their programs encompass courses in tour guiding and driving, marketing and human resources, illiteracy campaigns, and women’s sewing and handicraft workshops. The foundation also offers monthly benefits to needy families in rural areas as well as financial incentives to distinguished students, teachers and administrators whose efforts improve their educational institutions and raise the standards.

Al-Khair Foundation also reaches out to tribesmen, many of which, Mazen al-Shaibani tells me, “do not have any jobs and in many cases turn to al-Qaeda and resort to terrorism just to feed their families.” The foundation seeks to rehabilitate tribesmen through English language and literacy courses in order to provide them with opportunities for employment.

“One of the goals,” Mazen says, “is to export skillful manpower to the GCC which has long been Yemen’s dream.” The foundation not only provides job training but also seeks to provide employment opportunities for its graduates. Many businessmen from the GCC have been receptive to these efforts and many have offered graduates of the foundation employment.

On April 22, a graduation ceremony was held for the graduates of al-Khair Foundation along with graduates from a similar program, the Yemen Education for Employment Foundation. The ceremony was attended by Dr. Abdul Karim al-Eryani, the president’s Political advisor; Dr. Amat al-Razzak Hummad, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor; Alwan al-Shaibani, Chairman of Universal Group; Maeen al-Eryani, Executive Manager of Yemen Education for Employment Foundation; and Mokhtar al-Saqaf, General Manager of al-Khair Foundation.

 Universal Group is not the only company in Yemen who is giving back to the community; Modern American Language Institute (MALI) recently completed a program initiated by the Deputy General Manager, Julie Manning, with the support of owner, Mazen Luqman, in which MALI offered free tuition to 20 refugees for 4 months of English language courses. Julie began working on the project in October 2009. “We were looking for a way to give back to the community,” she said. She coordinated with Juliette Murekeyisoni, Associate Community Service Officer for UNHCR and Andrew Knight, External Relations Officer for UNHCR, and a month later the refugees were attending classes.

Julie Manning brought in a teacher specifically for this project, Ibrahim Nasher, who had worked before in Iraq and Palestine teaching refugees as a volunteer.  “Ibrahim was great; he treated the students with respect and dignity and made them feel welcome at MALI.” Julie said. Although the students were from Somalia, Oromos and Eritrea, most were born in Yemen and many have one parent from Yemen.

The students were enrolled in level B1 which is a very basic English class. The aim was to integrate these refugees into society by making them employable.  There were some concerns about bringing refugees into the institute. Julie said that she was concerned that the local students might not be accepting and that the refugees might face some discrimination. She found that her concerns were unfounded and that the students were treated respectfully.

Julie says that the students were very grateful for the opportunity.  “They worked hard and studied hard. They now have a solid foundation to build on. I consider the program a success.”

MALI currently has approximately 100 students who receive free or highly discounted tuition. “We believe strongly in corporate social responsibility and the refugee project is one of many ways we have tried to reach out to those less fortunate and give something back to the community. I think that corporate social responsibility is a concept that needs to be given more consideration in Yemen,” Julie added.

It is not an easy task for private companies to initiate such programs, however. The al-Khair Foundation faces many obstacles such as a weak education system, the disproportionate amount of college graduates to job vacancies, and financial restraints as the amount of funds allocated to the program depends directly on the profits of the company. Another impediment, al-Shaibani says, is the lack of   partnerships and alliances in the public and private sectors to take the national burden seriously. There is also a lack of support by the government for such efforts. “The government itself is ignorant to advocating and highlighting the efforts of the private sector. It is the government’s duty to praise and highlight those who take the country’s burdens on their shoulders on a daily basis, spending from their well-earned profits to invest back into the community, to make a future for Yemen,” he says.

The government is overwhelmed with the many economic and political problems that it is facing and while the government is looking to the international community to solve its problems, it is Yemeni people who are fighting for change and trying to compensate for the government’s short comings, because people like Mazen al-Shaibani and Julie Manning understand that Yemen is made of people, and it is up to the people to make a change.