Water conservation TVC continues to raise awareness across the region, displayed at Sharjah's musical fountain
1.7 million YouTube views to date
Kuwait, Sharjah - 30 April, 2013: Zain Group, a pioneer in mobile telecommunications in 8 markets across the Middle East and North Africa, has been honored by the Sharjah Media Corporation for its leading role in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its use of creativity in educating youth about the environment.
During the inaugural conference of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) for the Region of Central Asia and North Africa (CANA) that was held in Sharjah, Zain was honored for its production of "Qatoura"; a television commercial which teaches children the importance of water conservation.
The honoring ceremony organized by the Sharjah Media Corporation and attended by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Patron of the United Arab Emirates Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) and Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Media Corporation, highlighted the CSR efforts of a number of companies and individuals who have played a role in enriching the education of young people either through their writings, illustrations or other methods such as Zain's 'Qattoura' ('drop of water' in Arabic) television commercial, which continues to raise awareness.
The 'Qattoura' commercial is shown every evening at Sharjah's giant musical fountain at Al Majaz Waterfront, and often receives applause from the audience. The fountain, the largest of its kind in the region, is 220 meters wide and shoots water up to 100 meters into the air.
The 'Qattoura' television commercial was produced 5 years ago and is considered to be one of the first initiatives implemented by a Middle East telecom operator to deal with the issue of water conservation.
The 'Qattoura' song, which has gone on to be adapted by many educational institutes, was written by the Kuwaiti writer, Heba Hammada who has worked with Zain on a number of creative projects, most recently Zain's children's theater performances.
The commercial also attained remarkable viewership on YouTube, registering a record number of downloads to reach almost 1.7 million views to date.
In recent years, Zain's commercials have focused on a series of inspirational and motivational messages with the aim of passing on values to its communities. The company continues to explore new and creative ways to convey its CSR messages, and focuses on youth with the aim of instilling values and principles that equip youngsters to be responsible in their futures.
The UAEBBY which was established in January 2010 as a non-profit organization, organized and hosted the IBBY conference, held for the first time in an Arab country. The conference brings together people and organizations from across the region that work in the children's publishing industry, with the aim of enhancing the status of children's literature. This group includes authors, illustrators, publishers, librarians and academic institutions.
About Zain
Zain is a leading telecommunications operator across the Middle East and North Africa providing mobile voice and data services to over 42.7 million active customers as of 31 December, 2012. With a commercial presence in 8 countries, Zain operates in the following countries: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and South Sudan. In Lebanon, the company manages 'touch' on behalf of the government. In Morocco, Zain has a 15.5% stake in Wana Telecom, now branded 'INWI', through a joint venture. Zain is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (stock ticker: ZAIN).
For more information on Zain Group mobile operations across the region, please email: info@zain.com or visit:
© Press Release 2013
