JA Worldwide and SABIC Partner in Global Initiative for Education and Innovation
October 8, 2018
When SABIC, a global leader in diversified chemicals based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (KSA), went in search of a youth-serving nonprofit partner for its global initiative for education and innovation, JA Worldwide quickly emerged as the logical choice.
Known in the Middle East and North Africa as INJAZ, JA’s local affiliate is one of the only NGOs in full partnership with the KSA Ministry of Education, giving INJAZ important access to Saudi schools and classrooms, where corporate volunteers deliver entrepreneurship and work-readiness programs.
Although JA Worldwide serves over 10 million students each year, that number represents only a fraction of young adults who are unemployed or underemployed in MENA and throughout the world. As a result, the two global organizations have signed an agreement to serve more than 100,000 additional students through jointly developed social-responsibility educational opportunities. In KSA, five programs that focus on developing career skills while solving social challenges will reach 90,000 students across 1,500 educational institutions. A global initiative, Lights of our Future,TM is also being developed and will reach over 11,000 students in 20 additional countries where JA and SABIC both operate.
Asheesh Advani, CEO of JA Worldwide (below, left), reflected on the new collaboration after the formal signing ceremony. “Our partnership with SABIC,” he said, “will harness our students’ natural desire to mix profitability with social good.”
JA Worldwide CEO, Asheesh Advani, (left) and Khaled Habardy, SABIC General Manager for Public Affairs and Government Relations
Yousef Al-Banyan, SABIC Vice Chairman and CEO, agreed. “We focus our CSR efforts on activities that create social, environmental, and economic value, and also advance SABIC’s 2025 strategy goals and support Saudi Vision 2030. This educational and innovation initiative stems from our unwavering dedication to build caring community relationships.”
About SABIC: With more than 34,000 employees worldwide, SABIC (sabic.com) manufactures chemicals, commodity and high performance plastics, agri-nutrients, and metals on a global scale in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific. Fostering innovation and a spirit of ingenuity, SABIC owns 11,534 global patent filings.
About JA Worldwide: As one of the world’s largest youth-serving NGOs, JA Worldwide (jaworldwide.org) prepares young people for employment and entrepreneurship. For 100 years, JA has delivered hands on, experiential learning in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Each year, our network of over 450,000 volunteers serves more than 10 million students in over 100 countries.
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