Successfully concluding its first digital entrepreneurship programme, Spring Forward, Ooredoo has announced the top three winning student projects for 2018. Stepping up to the challenge, the ‘Awn Initiative’ was awarded first place for their project which aimed to create an inclusive culture for the blind and deaf in restaurants and cinemas. Taking second place was the ‘Al Bait Baitak’ team who worked on creating a tourism App that identified and classified various rental opportunities for visitors to Oman. Third place was awarded to the team who developed the idea of ‘AL Makhfi al Thikie’, a smart tint concept which allows users to control the darkness of windows in cars, homes and commercial buildings through an App.
Raed Mohammed Dawood, Director of Government Relations and Corporate Affairs at Ooredoo, said, “This unique programme attracted participants who were passionate about making a change through technology. As the world around us continues to become more digitally enabled, we look for innovative ways to use digital technology to better our communities, and that’s exactly what these teams have demonstrated. They identified a problem and created a project that not only provided a solution, but as a business is financially viable, scalable, digital and can truly make a difference.”
Ooredoo’s commitment to inspire the next generation is driven by the company’s values of promoting human growth. After working closely with industry leaders and licensed trainers, the teams were motivated to create and develop projects that could potentially be implemented on a large scale.
The ‘Awn initiative’ worked by collaborating with restaurants and cinemas to provide menus in braille for the blind as well as hearing aids and sign language options at cinemas. Once on board, all participating vendors would be added to an App that lists the venues offering these services to both the hearing and visually impaired.
Al Bait Baitak is a review-based app which not only lists houses and flats for rent but also categorises the listings based on cost, geography, and the surrounding tourism sites and available facilities. It also includes activities for tourists to do within the area.
Al Makhfi Thikie tackles a common challenge faced throughout the Sultanate by creating a smart tint solution for windows that is easily controlled through a mobile app. Whether in cars, homes, or buildings, the tint allows users to adjust the level of sunlight to their preference.
Ooredoo launched Spring Forward in April 2018. Its digital entrepreneurship and leadership programme for both men and women, Spring Forward aims to further develop the strengths of its participants by coaching them on how to be more aware, build team working skills, and demonstrate the required leadership competencies to rise to the top.