Championing inclusion and diversity at EABL

The Inclusion and Diversity agenda is key in today’s evolving world, with businesses being called upon to create shared value and promote social justice amongst their communities. The reality, however, is that Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) remain marginalized and unempowered today. For example, the historical injustice of being denied opportunities such as work and lacking basic needs still linger on.

The 2019 Labor Market Assessment commissioned by Sight Savers revealed that unemployment and poverty are some of the major challenges facing PWDs in Kenya. It was estimated that PWDs constitute less than 2% of the workforce. In the same line, the UN Statistics show that in developing countries, 80% - 90% of PWDs of working age are unemployed, whereas in industrialized countries the figure is between 50% - 70%.

The reason behind this is erroneous perceptions, fear, myths, and prejudice that continue to limit understanding and acceptance of disability. We must tackle this and adopt a better attitude towards PWDs if we are to truly make a sustainable difference.

At EABL, we believe that empowering people with disabilities is a necessity as it is their human right to have a dignified and productive life. We recognize that diverse workgroups and talents are indeed key in developing better solutions to social, economic, and business challenges amongst us.

To achieve this, we have developed a People Strategy?that drives toward creating a truly inclusive culture that allows our people to continuously learn, enjoy diverse contributions, and be the best version of themselves. We believe that such a culture must be pre-requisite to producing a high performing team.

Today, as we celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), EABL reaffirms its commitment to Champion Inclusion and Diversity across our entire value chain.

Guided by our sustainability strategy Society 2030: Spirit of Progress, we have signed strategic partnerships with organizations that are trailblazers in building inclusive corporate organizations, such as Sightsavers.

We have partnered with Sightsavers for a?five-year programme that will impact more than 705 farmers with disabilities across eight sub-counties in Western Kenya and later, one county in Eastern Kenya.

The partnership aims to improve not only inclusion and labour rights for people who are often marginalized but for everyone working across the supply and distribution chains.?So far, we are happy to have onboarded 163 farmers with disabilities into our contractual farming program.

We have also trained 31 PWDs through the Diageo Bar Academy program which we launched last year to support the hospitality sector Build Back Better post the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our longstanding commitment remains unshrinking and we have ambitious goals to work with our brands and communities to build a more inclusive society.

We believe that an inclusive culture makes a better society and a better world. Let’s join hands and build one together!

Tope Akinsanya , Group HR Director, EABL