Zain Group, a leading provider of innovative technologies and digital lifestyle communications, operating in eight markets across the Middle East and Africa, has entered a regional first-of-its-kind strategic partnership with ‘Be My Eyes’ to provide instant visual assistance for people who are blind or have low vision.
Be My Eyes develops and runs the largest and fastest-growing accessibility app for the blind and low vision community worldwide, with approximately 700,000 users globally of which close to 100,000 are Arabic-speaking blind users.
The recipient of several innovation and accessibility awards, Be My Eyes also has over 7.7 million volunteers, spread across 150+ countries providing support in 180+ languages.
Following a series of successful pilots across Zain markets, the new group-wide partnership with Be My Eyes will see the telecom group's staff regularly act as sighted volunteers on the Be My Eyes platform.
The collaboration will see Be My Eyes educate and facilitate 16 volunteering events, over a period of a year, for Zain employees, with each event lasting four hours and up to 100 personnel.
The volunteering events will allow Zainers to sign up and answer one-way video, two-way audio calls from people in need of some sort of assistance. In practice, once the volunteer gets the video call, they will answer user questions about anything the user’s smartphone camera can see, such as reading a document, identifying where something is, in their home, school or workplace, describing a new environment, and many other potential scenarios.
On the key initiative, Bader Al Kharafi, Zain Vice-Chairman and Group CEO, said: "We are an operator from the region and for the region, passionate about community programs that add meaningful connectivity to all people we have the privilege of serving and beyond."
"We are proud of our record of introducing new solutions and initiatives to the region for the first time, and our collaboration with Be My Eyes reflects our commitment to inclusion by harnessing technology to better serve the global community," he stated.
Mike Buckley, CEO of Be My Eyes, said: "At Be My Eyes, we are thrilled to partner with Zain Group, a leader in the digital landscape across the Middle East and Africa. This collaboration represents a significant step forward in our mission to make the world more accessible for blind and low-vision individuals."
"Together, we are not only enhancing accessibility but also fostering meaningful connections that provide information, with speed and elegance, about a world not designed for the blind," stated Buckley.
Zain is one of the most active companies regionally with respect to providing access to people with disabilities having implemented a fully-fledged disability inclusive strategy, reflecting its commitment to fostering technology to support this community, he added.
