Lafarge Concrete Jordan Launches the "Women on Wheels" Program
Lafarge Concrete Jordan has launched the first-of-its-kind program in the Middle East, "Women on Wheels", aimed at providing new opportunities to empower Jordanian women and integrate them into various sectors, exploring unconventional work experiences in Jordan. This was done in the presence of Farouk Al-Hadidi, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Labour.
During the ceremony, the company honored two women, Reem Al-Rawajbeh and Nisreen Al-Labadi, who successfully completed the program.
The General Manager of Lafarge Concrete Jordan, Ali Said, stated that the launch of this program is one of the community contributions provided by Lafarge Jordan to local communities in the Kingdom. He added that the company contributes to supporting university education for students, planting trees in areas surrounding its plants, and empowering Jordanian families to provide a monthly income, in addition to other contributions. He stressed on the company's role in building better cities and maintaining environmental sustainability through the provision of new, environmentally friendly and heat-insulating products.
He pointed out that the company worked hard to make this first-of-its-kind experience in Jordan a success, considering that this experiment was difficult and full of challenges. This includes changing society's traditional perception of women's work and opening up a new opportunity for them in fieldwork as a mixer driver. He affirmed that the company succeeded in attracting a number of Jordanian women to join the training program, which lasted for six months. The program was divided into theoretical and practical training, supervised by a well-trained, specialized team.
In turn, the CEO of Lafarge in Jordan, Samaan Samaan, affirmed that this program came in implementation of the royal directives to provide full support for women in all their roles and to affirm their pivotal role in the progress, prosperity, and elevation of society. Samaan said, "His Majesty the King has never hesitated in all forums, speeches, directed messages, and even in discussions, to convey clear messages affirming the role of women, empowering them, and enhancing their participation."
Samaan emphasized that the "Women on Wheels" initiative represented a significant and new challenge, with Lafarge Concrete Jordan being among the first to undertake and research how to implement and succeed in this initiative. He affirmed that enabling women and granting them the appropriate place in society is achieved through support, encouragement, and breaking out of traditional frameworks, considering that creating a suitable work environment for everyone is a shared responsibility of all.
On her part, Astrid Van Der Burgt, Head of Road Safety at Holcim Group, said, "We strongly believe in diversity and inclusiveness, and last year we officially launched our 'Women on Wheels program globally." She pointed out some of the initial trials of the program in countries like Uganda and South Africa, noting that women in those countries performed better than male drivers in terms of better fuel consumption, less wear and tear on vehicles, fewer repair operations, fewer accidents, and overall all the key safety performance indicators were better.
In her turn, mixer truck driver, Nisrein Al-Labadi, said that the company had provided her with a unique and wonderful opportunity to drive a large vehicle, and at the same time, a moving load. She expressed her enthusiasm and enjoyment in this work, pointing out that the company had provided a safe environment to assist the drivers. She added, "The acceptance from our driver colleagues was wonderful, they were initially surprised, but the experience was successful. I would like to thank Lafarge in Jordan, represented by its management, workers, and drivers."
On her part, mixer truck driver, Reem Rawajbeh, affirmed the importance of her experience in driving the vehicle, considering that the experience was wonderful and that it supported the audacity to enter a new profession.
The president of the General Union of Construction Workers, Mahmoud Al-Hayari, confirmed that the ladies have made marks that he is proud and honored by. He said that Lafarge's program should be an example to all companies in the Kingdom, by involving women in various fields of work
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