Lafarge Egypt and GIZ reinforce diversity and inclusion in cement industry
Lafarge Egypt, a member of Holcim Group, and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) have announced their cooperation through the Programme Employment of Young Women through Applied Gender Diversity Management (GDM) in the MENA region, on behalf of the German Government.
To further the principles of gender equality, women empowerment, and inclusion in the business environment, Lafarge in cooperation with GIZ, will be offering a summer internship for 8 female school-students, reinforcing its mission to create equitable opportunities and promote diversity in the cement field, which is heavily male dominated. This initiative comes in line with both companies’ continuous commitment to Sustainable Development Goals and Egypt Vision 2030.
Solomon Baumgartner Aviles, CEO of Lafarge Egypt, a member of Holcim Group, welcomed the young female interns asserting that Lafarge Egypt will offer them an exceptional environment to grow and thrive. He stated: “Complying with Holcim’s global strategy towards diversity and inclusion, Lafarge Egypt is proud to encourage women to explore their potential in various fields. We are committed to creating a safe space for women to be themselves while achieving professional accomplishments, building a sustainable and innovative business for the future that supports Egypt’s vision 2030.”
Dr. Noha Bakr, Country Communications & Corporate Affairs Director of Lafarge Egypt, a member of Holcim Group, elaborated: “Lafarge Egypt never ceases to participate in prominent initiatives, contributing to community development. Through the two-weeks program we introduce schoolgirls (14-16 years) to the working world at Lafarge Egypt. We are helping these young females to make an informed decision regarding their field of study and professional future. The interns will get a hands-on experience in the HR, Communications, Marketing, IT and Business Development departments on a rotational basis. They will be trained and given tasks to experience the job nature of the different functions and realize their capabilities.”
Hania Elkady, GIZ Advisor at EconoWin commented: “We are delighted to cooperate with Lafarge Egypt to provide the orientation needed to enable the younger generation to further integrate women in the economy and to encourage them to have successful future and career path”
It is worth mentioning that Lafarge Egypt has also been investing in other women empowerment programs such as “TE’DARY Program” which focused on raising the awareness of 80 women and girls regarding gender equality and their capacity to achieve economic sustainability in the Tora region. The program worked on two pillars. First: raising participants' self-awareness and enhancing their knowledge about gender equality. Second: Providing vocational and economic training seminars / workshops to raise the efficiency of women and girls, in terms of life skills for a decent quality of life.
