Beirut, Lebanon, May 18, 2017: Under the patronage and in the presence of His Excellency the Minister of Telecommunications Jamal Al Jarrah, Alfa, managed by Orascom TMT, launched Ikebana Spirit exhibition, a new initiative under its Alfa 4-Life CSR program for the benefit of the students of the Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf. The exhibition was inaugurated in Exotica, Jal El Dib, featuring Japanese-style flower arrangements made by the association’s students. The event was attended by Alfa’s Chairman and CEO Marwan Hayek, Exotica General Manager Joe Younes, Ministry officials, Alfa administrative staff and team, and the media.
The President of the Graphic Designers Union in Lebanon, Rita Moukarzel, who guided the students in art therapy workshops, gave a detailed explanation of the art pieces presented, which reflected a unique artistic talent and required continuous efforts for teaching the students the intricacies of such art.
Hayek
“Social responsibility is an important part of Alfa's journey and has enabled us to expand our role from a telecom operator to an active entity in our community,” said Hayek. “A very wide segment of society needs support, especially children with communication needs, and the Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf represents this segment”. He added, “Alfa has been supporting the association for 12 years, since the launch of Alfa 4-Life, and our project is growing exponentially so that each year we develop ourselves together. During our continuous support to the association, we launched targeted programs. The students learned how to cook and revived the craft of mosaic making through their works of art. Today, they use their creativity once again at this exhibition”. He pointed out that the children and the association “embody the slogan of ‘working silently’, and the result of their actions is more powerful than any loud speech, and is effective and eloquent in every sense of the word”.
Hayek explained that Alfa has invested to date $3 million in CSR programs through “direct support to the associations with which we work, and through donation campaigns with our subscribers”.
He added, “As a socially responsible company, Alfa will stand beside you under the auspices of the Ministry of Telecommunications, especially with the increasing needs of the associations with the Syrian displacement”. He stressed that Alfa’s role is also to encourage private companies in Lebanon and the telecom sector to support these associations. Hayek thanked Exotica, which opened its doors to this initiative and all those who contributed to its completion.
Minister Jarrah
“What Alfa is doing is proof of its community commitment, and I consider people with special needs to be the responsibility of everyone”, Jarrah said. “This responsibility is reflected in the support Mr. Hayek talked about, and I hope all ministries and companies pay more attention to this issue and dedicate more financial resources in support of this essential segment of society”.
“These people have certain circumstances, but God has found people to help and support them to be effective and teach them certain skills and hence help transform a part of our society to a source of production”. He pointed out that the issue of people with special needs “is one of the most important issues that we can assume as a Ministry of Telecommunications or as institutions, and we all have to support this effort and this transformation that achieves integration and enables these people to be active”.
Jarrah praised Alfa for its exemplary role through its CSR program, calling for its continuation and development. He reiterated the ministry's readiness to provide full support and applauded the work of Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf, also thanking Exotica for supporting this initiative. He pointed to the need to allocate more effort and potential for this issue including providing labs for young people to train on new skills and production so that they can rely entirely on themselves.
The proceeds of the exhibition will go to the Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf and the students.
