ACICO supports ‘BE STRONG’ for Kuwaiti women empowerment

As part of its social responsibility program

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 24: In line with the international campaign ‘16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence’, ACICO Group sponsored the ‘BE STRONG’ initiative; a functional, self-defense training program for women. The initiative was launched by Balsam International, represented by Kuwaiti fencing champion, Balsam Al-Ayoub, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) regional office and the US selfdefense training program ‘Divas in Defense’.

‘BE STRONG’ was launched on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which is managed by UN Women. This year’s advocacy theme was Orange the World with the hashtag #HearMeToo; the theme symbolized a brighter future and a world free of violence against girls and women.

This local initiative is part of a global development project that aims at ending violence against women by offering free of cost self-defense courses, using sport as a tool for change, development and spreading peace; thereby driving true sustainability and advancing gender equality.

On this occasion, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of ACICO Group, Ghosson Alkhaled, said: “ACICO Group always strives to support and encourage community events such as these that have a positive impact on the community, particularly initiatives that focus on women and important international and national issues. Our sponsorship of this particular initiative aims at supporting their goals of providing a platform to empower women, as it focuses on fostering women’s innate strength and empowering girls to face life’s challenges and any violence they might come up against.”

Alkhaled added that, as a Kuwaiti born and bred company, ACICO Group has always sought to be socially-conscious, set a positive example and impact real change in order to actively contribute towards building a stronger local community. Accordingly, ACICO Group seeks to best serve its community, by engaging directly with people on matters of social importance and creating a safe environment that is conducive to selfexpression and social development.

On her part, Balsam Al-Ayoub lauded ACICO Group for its sponsorship of this initiative as well as its ongoing support of community-based issues. Al-Ayoub further noted that ‘BE STRONG’ was launched as a vital service to the community to become a part of the solution to stop violence against women and girls in Kuwait by empowering women and girls both physically and mentally and raising awareness of domestic violence.

Al-Ayoub added that, following the remarkable success of last year’s ‘BE STRONG’ self-defense workshops, where 647 women and girls from 35 nationalities were trained, this year’s initiative featured free certificated workshops for women and girls at the Kuwait Sports Club, schools, universities and at both private and public venues as requested.

ACICO Group remains strongly committed to its positive role within the community. For this reason, the Group’s leading social responsibility program strategically focuses on making a significant social and national impact. ACICO Group works to harness its expertise and resources to support individuals and groups, in addition to offering its support to many deserving and far-reaching local organizations, initiatives and programs.