Vibin Vincent, an Indian national with Down syndrome, joined THE One Outlet team on 11 November 2012. Vibin’s father heard about us when his son appeared in a short film and Ashraf, a co-actor, suggested getting in touch with THE One since we hired individuals with special needs. As it turns out, As...
Give & Gain Day, an initiative that started back in the UK in 2008 and has since become a global movement, is an annual day of Employee Volunteering celebrated globally on the third Friday in May. Since Friday is a weekend day in the Muslim world and Give & Gain is all about volunteering during wo...
While our Bahrain team was looking for a cause to support during Ramadan, they came across Feed the Need, a charity which offers free food to local communities by installing fridges around Bahrain. The idea is that people who live in the area can fill the fridge with donated food and drinks, there...
Ebrahim Al Noor, a young Emirati with Down Syndrome, joined THE One Jumeirah team on May 1, 2006 as a part-time Salesperson Assistant. Ebrahim was a minder at the Ministry of Labour’s Special Needs Centre before expressing a desire to integrate into society. He currently works five hours a day, five...
We believe that employing those with challenges fosters better understanding and encourages greater social integration. That’s why we hire physically and mentally challenged individuals who are suitable candidates for employment. In our experience, they have a tremendous amount to offer, inspiring s...
In an effort to give something back to their community, our Khalidiya Theatre team raised AED2,000 through selling bingo tickets to all members of our Abu Dhabi tribe, and used these funds to create 150 Ramadan care packages for construction workers on a site near our Yas Mall store. While several t...
We believe that education is the key to ending the cycle of poverty. So in 2008, we launched THE Onederworld – our Sustainable Village Community programme, with education at its heart.
Teaming up with Free The Children on our Onederworld projects, we work with villagers on five-year plans towards self-sufficiency through holistic community development. We focus on 5
main areas:
• Quality Primary Education
• Healthcare Services
• Alternative Income Projects
• Drinking Water and Sanitation Services
• Agriculture and Food Security
We are focusing on neglected regions in the world where our employees come from, our manufacturers are based or wherever it just makes sense to help out. We are placing special emphasis on areas where there is a high incidence of child labour, exploitation of children and minimal opportunities for girls. We consult with and involve the local community and get their full participation in implementing a plan towards self-sufficiency.
We kicked off our Onederworld programme with the Pimbiniet community in Kenya in August 2008. During the course of this 5-year project, which we completed in 2013, THE One funded the building of ten classrooms of a new Primary school, a library, school kitchen and four latrine blocks, besides providing the community with clean running water by drilling a borehole in September 2011, allowing girls to attend school instead of having to fetch water from the river. We are very proud of our achievements in Pimbiniet where we have truly helped bring about sustainable change through THE Onederworld.
In March 2012 we launched two new Onederworld projects, this time in Rajasthan, India. The Barind community is comprised of two hamlets, Bhilo ki Barind and Solankiyo ki Barind, home to around 300 households. So far we have built a new school block, containing two classrooms outfitted with large windows and a chalkboard. Moreover, gender-specific school latrines are also under construction, which will help increase female school enrolment, leading to more girls pursuing a higher education. The school’s hand pump was also completely rehabilitated with new piping. A hydrogeologist tested the pump to ensure its safety and longevity, ensuring long-term sustainable access to clean water for the community. We have also established a new school garden that hosts six different types of herbs, which will provide added medicinal and nutritional benefits to the school community. In addition, we are very excited to announce that we have started the construction of a brand new Anganwadi or Community Health Centre.
This blog is designed to keep you posted on the progress we are making with all the projects of THE Onederworld. Be sure to check back regularly!
Welcome to THE [Responsible] One blog, where you can read all about our Ethical Sourcing, Challenged Employees, Local Volunteering initiatives and THE Onederworld – our Sustainable Village Community programme.
For us, Corporate Social Responsibility is not a values issue. It’s a priorities issue. THE One touches the lives of our staff, our suppliers, our customers, and all their families on a daily basis. The stronger our brand grows, the more powerful this personal connection becomes. This carries with it a huge responsibility because, at the end of the day, we are what we do.
We don’t believe the world needs another retailer. We believe we need a better world. We feel THE One has a much more meaningful role to play than merely selling stuff no one really needs. We have a responsibility to our children, our customers, and communities to try to improve the world we live in. This goes way beyond environmental and social auditing. It's about engaging with society on a significant level and empowering our communities to evolve as a by-product of our core business.
Some of the ways in which we make a difference include hiring challenged young adults, reaching out to our local communities and our Big Idea: global education through THE Onederworld. We are on a mission to Change the World Together… Are you Brave enough to be with us?
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