Safaricom’s Valuable 500 Commitment:
Safaricom PLC is a Kenyan communications company, providing a wide range of services including voice, messaging, data, financial and converged services with a purpose of Transforming lives.
Our purpose requires us to put people before profits, the very reason Diversity and Inclusion has been part of Safaricom’s fabric right from our origin in 2000, with out employee base a reflection of the diverse communities we serve.
Internally, our Diversity and Inclusion team is committed to creating an environment in which employees are empowered to thrive and achieve both individual and business objectives through various initiatives including:
-
Continuous sensitisation of all employees on unconscious bias;
-
Training staff on Basic Sign Language, a key driver for inclusive communication; at least 500 employees trained so far.
-
Providing customised business tools for staff with diverse disabilities (assistive devices and technologies);
-
Ensuring our physical environment is accessible: accessible spaces; inclusive gym, strobe lights, voice and braille functionality in lifts
-
Procuring specialised evacuation equipment
-
Celebrating our first disability and diversity days
Operating in a developing nation, we witness first-hand the disproportionate effects of inequality and poverty on People with Disability. Guided by our purpose of Transforming Lives and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8 (Decent Work & Economic Growth), 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), we took up the challenge to drive the Disability Inclusion agenda beyond the workplace.
At the inaugural Disability Summit held here ate HereEast London in July 2019, Safaricom signed the Disability Charter for Change where we committed to the following objectives:
-
Elimination of stigma and discrimination:
-
Economic empowerment; and
-
Facilitating the availability and affordability of assistive devices and technologies.
We have also taken up a leading role in bringing together different organisations from the Public & Private Sector, Disability Partner Organisation (DPOs) and Academia with the objective of championing the disability agenda in a collaborative, sustainable and coordinated way.