News Update Times

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Yayvo came up with a creative idea this year with their well-received isMay box. The box came with goodies, many of them in pairs. The idea was to share the goodness with others, specially the deserving. In addition to that, the box could be refilled with items such as clothing, stationery, toys, books etc; and return to any TCS Express Center for the items in the box to be given to Saylani Trust. This message of Delivering Change came just in time for Ramadan, fostering a spirit of giving to those in need.

Ramadan is all about sharing blessings and caring for fellow human beings. The spirit of giving continues with Delivering Change in Ramadan through Yayvo.com. You can donate to various charities under four causes (Health, Education, Vocational Training and Act of Kindness). Through Yayvo Delivering Change, even those who didn’t receive an isMay box can donate and play their part at making ours a better society.

There are 6 organization on-board with Yayvo , striving to Deliver Change this Ramadan. These are Aman Foundation, The Citizens Foundation, Saylani Trust, LRBT, Behbud Association and Akhuwat Foundation. Users can click through any of the causes and chose to donate in the various listed ways to the organization of their choice.

Under health, the donated amount will be used to provide better health opportunities and making quality of life better. Donations made under the head of Education will be used to provide stationery, books and other educational services to provide the underprivileged with better educational opportunities. Donations for vocational training will be used to provide technical and practical training of up to six months to hone the skills of the deserving so that they can become constructive members of the society. Donations made for an act of kindness will be used to bring a smile by providing an item of use to someone in need.

If you wish to donate items instead of money, Yayvo has a Box of Hope, for users who wish to donate items of use such apparel, shoes, toys etc. Yayvo offers them to use an empty Yayvo box, fill it with the items to donate, place the provided Box of Hope of sticker and drop it off at any nearest TCS Express Center, from where the box will be delivered to Saylani Trust.

Surrounding us is a large number of people who deserve a better chance at life. The spirit of giving and sharing, prevalent in Ramadan provides us with an opportunity to look out for these people. This Ramadan, when you are preparing for Eid, looking for the best for your family, remember those in need as well; the ones who do not enjoy the same luxuries in life.  Take a moment to log on to Yayvo Delivering Change and donate for a cause in a couple of easy steps. A small donation on your part could give someone a chance to a better life.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  The graduation ceremony of more than 300 female students was held at the Pasrur Vocational Training Center, which is a part of a Coca-Cola funded project ‘Women Economic Empowerment Program’ in partnership with Kashf Foundation. Since 2017, five community based vocational training centers have been set up under this Program, and these centers have delivered 3-months training sessions to the local low-income women of the area, focusing on non-traditional trade for women like football stitching. The ceremony was attended by all the graduating students, and by Roshaneh Zafar, Managing Director of Kashf Foundation and Fahad Qadir, Director Public Affairs & Communications of Coca-Cola Pakistan. 

At the ceremony Fahad Qadir highlighted, “Coca-Cola partnered with Kashf Foundation first in 2011 to set the ground for a microfinance project serving the needs of low-income females all across Pakistan to enhance their household income. Since then, the project has developed a multi-faceted approach by providing qualitative benefits like gender training to support women empowerment, and financial management courses for female entrepreneurs. It is a great step forward for bringing the marginalized women of Pakistan into the mainstream, as empowered women contribute significantly towards the economy and the healthy development of our society.”

In the last 7 years the project has empowered more than 7,500 female entrepreneurs, and has been able to facilitate the enrollment of low-income females in the corporate sector by providing skill-based trainings at Pasrur Vocational Center, to bridge the gap between trainings and employment. Coca-Cola’s global program ‘5by20’ aims to empower more than 5 million females by the year 2020 and Kashf Foundation supports this mandate.

Speaking about the partnership with Coca-Cola Pakistan, Roshaneh Zafar emphasized “The collaboration over the past seven years has generated many monumental investments into the economic enablement of impoverished female entrepreneurs in Pakistan. The skills learned through this new trade of football stitching will bring out positive impact in terms of higher wages, better employability prospects and break stereotypical barriers in this male dominant industry.”

Kashf’s internal research has shown that vocational education trainings have a positive impact on wages, employment, mobility and employment opportunity. Complementing vocational trainings with trainings on financial management, self-actualization and self-confidence can help expand the economic benefits of the trainings to the trainees. Around 67% of the graduates of Kashf’s previous vocational trainings are now running their own businesses and 50% of the football stitching trainees from this program have already started acquiring orders from the market and various factories.

Cost of buying, gifting and transferring of Skywards Miles is now more attractive Members can now reinstate expired Miles

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) – Emirates Skywards has made it even easier to redeem reward flights and earn travel and lifestyle rewards by giving members more flexibility in managing their Skywards Miles. Members of Emirates’ award-winning loyalty programme can now buy, gift or transfer Miles to their loved ones at a more attractive rate.

The cost of buying or gifting Miles has been adjusted to USD 30 per 1,000 Miles, while transferring Miles costs USD 15 per 1,000 Miles giving members the opportunity to earn rewards faster.  Transaction limits have also been increased enabling members to buy or gift up to 100,000 Skywards Miles per year and transfer up to 50,000 Miles a year.

In addition, the programme now enables members to reinstate expired Miles. Members who have miles that have expired in the last six months can reinstate them at a nominal charge of USD 20 per 1,000 Miles.

“We constantly look at all avenues to enhance the Emirates Skywards programme and deliver greater value to our global membership base,” said Dr Nejib Ben Kheder, Senior Vice President, Emirates Skywards. “Our members know how to maximise the value that Skywards offers and can now enjoy greater flexibility when they buy, gift, transfer or reinstate their Skywards Miles. With our programme continually evolving, the coming months will see the addition of even more features enabling our members greater opportunity than ever to earn Miles and access rewards across our wide range of flights, travel and lifestyle related products.”

Emirates Skywards partnered with Points, the global leader in powering loyalty commerce, to enhance the functionality to buy, gift, transfer and reinstate Skywards Miles giving members more flexibility in managing their Miles. The transactions can all be made at emirates.com once the member is logged in.

Emirates Skywards membership is free. Besides flight rewards and upgrades, members can earn and redeem Skywards Miles through over 100 programme partners including airlines, hotels and retail & lifestyle outlets. Members also enjoy money-can’t-buy-experiences at popular events worldwide and access to 41 Emirates lounges in major cities worldwide. Other benefits include lounge access, priority check-in and boarding and special privileges for Wi-Fi and advanced seat selection on board.

For more information visit www.emirates.com/Skywards

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Uber, the global smartphone app that seamlessly connects riders to drivers, has teamed up with Kashf Foundation in a bid to educate driver partners on how to refrain from inappropriate behavior to recognize and prevent unsuitable actions. Titled ‘Dignity at Work’, this training is a part of Uber’s global initiative to help prevent harassment of any kind.

“Since launching in Pakistan over two years ago, Uber has continuously worked to improve the safety of riders and drivers using its app. Through our technology, we are providing a safer and more reliable ride in a way that was not possible before, working  with members of the communities we serve to best represent local needs,” said Safee Shah, Uber General Manager in Pakistan. He further added “This partnership with Kashf Foundation helps us to listen, learn, collaborate and build on our global commitment to prevent harassment and assault. We will continue to invest in new technology and similar social partnerships to not only contribute to the safety of everyone who drives and rides using the app, but also drive change in Pakistan,” 

The purpose of the training is to educate Uber drivers on maintaining dignity at work and in-depth knowledge on prevention of harassment, while also encouraging a zero-tolerance policy towards any kind of harassment. It will also develop understanding about the legal policies and punishments for harassment in Pakistan.

Roshaneh Zafar, Managing Director Kashf Foundation stated, “We strongly believe in a gender sensitive and enabling work environment and have made it an integral part of our institution’s core values. Looking at the alarming numbers of harassment issues women and young girls face in our country every day, we feel it is imperative upon us to help other organizations in building safer environments and maintaining dignity at their workplaces and otherwise. This is just the beginning and we hope our relationship with Uber fosters and we can culminate this into a long-term partnership.”

On a global level, Uber is taking huge strides in fighting the menace of harassment and domestic violence, by forging working partnerships with thought-leading organizations and making important changes internally.

The ride-hailing app will continue to develop, collaborate and launch initiatives in the coming months in an effort to drive change in Pakistan and in the other countries it operates in. Some of these initiatives include facilitating employee training and education, hosting global listening tours to capture feedback and concerns from local community organizations, continuing to engage on internal speaker series, and employee volunteerism.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  OPPO, a leading global smartphone brand, dedicated to providing products infused with art and innovative technology, today announced new leadership aimed at expediting its international business and cultivating young talents.

Alen Wu, Vice President of OPPO, formerly in charge of China Marketing and Sales, has been appointed to be responsible for OPPO’s international business. In his new role, Alen oversees the entire international operations and is charged to expediting growth outside China. Alen Wu will report to Tony Chen, CEO of OPPO.

“International business plays a strategic role and is highly valued at OPPO. Similarly we are also committed to nurturing young talents and promotion from within OPPO,” said Tony Chen, “As one of OPPO’s key executives, Alen is highly experienced in marketing and possess acute consumer insights. We look forward to his greater contribution to OPPO in the years ahead.”   

Alen Wu, who joined OPPO in 2006, was also in charge of distributor network construction and mobile product marketing. During his charge of China Marketing and Sales, OPPO became one of the top smartphone brands in China and achieved great success in both terms of sales performance and brand building. In his new role, Alen will further enhance OPPO’s position as a leading smartphone brand worldwide, lead expansion into new markets and also further develop existing International business.

Charles Wong, at the same time, is appointed as OPPO Assistant Vice President, OPPO India President, and reports to Alen Wu. He takes the position in order to fulfill the company’s growth agenda as OPPO continues to build momentum in the India market. Charles has nearly two decades of experience in marketing and sales. His vision and skills will be responsible for steering OPPO’s expansion in India and achieve the company’s vision to be a leader in the market.

Commenting on his appointment, Charles Wong said “I am extremely excited to be a part of the OPPO India team at an important juncture. Having served in OPPO gives me a good insight of the business,its challenges and varied cultures. The Indian mobile market is growing exponentially and I look forward to further strengthen the brand presence in the Indian markets by providing great user experience with our products”.