Tourism & Hospitality | Tuesday 10 November, 2015 4:12 am |

ALBAIK’s “Please Park It Right” innovative community awareness program received the prestigious Global SABRE   Award as one of the world’s top 40 CSR programs.  Chosen from more than 5,000 entries in the category ALBAIK received the trophy during the Global Public Relations Summit in Miami, Florida last week.  

 

“Please Park It Right” is a community initiative that aims to foster responsibility and encourage proper parking habits in order to ease traffic congestion for the benefit of the community as a whole.  A collaboration that brings together the public and private sectors, “Please Park It Right” is a first of its kind program in partnership with the Jeddah Traffic Police, the Universal Accessibility Program of the King Salman Center for Disability Research, and ALBAIK Food Systems Company.   

 

Launched in May 2013, “Please Park It Right” was developed with the help of a group of young men who went beyond their physical disability to create awareness on the importance of respecting traffic regulations and parking, especially for disabled parking spots. 

 

“Please Park It Right” campaign has been turned into a profitable business venture entitled ‘Mawagif’ headed by Safar Alhaqabani, a young man who did not allow his physical disability stop him from achieving his dreams of becoming an athlete. Safar is a member of the Saudi National Basketball Team for the Disabled and is an avid supporter and activist for the rights of the disabled.  Bringing together the challenge of easing traffic congestion, particularly in commercial areas, and highlighting the need  for respecting parking for all, especially for the handicapped community, the team worked alongside the program partners within the Universal Accessibility program of the King Salman Center for Disability Research to address and provide solutions for the cause.  

 

“We started as a team of four people and today, there are more than 14 team members involved in the venture,” stated Safar Al Haqabani, Mawagif Founder.  “Currently Mawagif handles the parking requirements of a number of ALBAIK restaurants in Jeddah and Makkah and we are expanding into other areas.  Agreements are also being developed with other companies and ever since our launch, we’ve worked with NGO’s, event planners and commercial areas such as parks and malls to provide traffic congestion solutions in Jeddah.”  

 

“We thank everyone for their support and cooperation to turn an idea into our entrepreneurial venture. We would like to thank ALBAIK especially whom have taken us under their wing by providing the guidance, support, mentorship needed for Mawagif to thrive and grow,” he concluded.

 

“We are very proud of what Safar and the team have achieved with Mawagif and its recognition on such a global scale,” stated Eng. Rami Abu Ghazaleh, CEO of ALBAIK Food Systems Co. Ltd.  “To be recognized by the SABRE  awards on a global level as one of the top 40 CSR programs  is a great and commendable feat for everyone involved in this program.  The King Salman Center for Disability Research and the Jeddah Traffic Police were a key factor in helping share the program and its outcome.  We are delighted with Mawagif’s success and of everyone’s participation  in the program and the award win is recognition of the combined efforts and great accomplishments of all entities involved,” he concluded.

 

The process of implementation used to assess each venue and its handling process is based on the Universal Accessibility Code launched by the King Salman Center for Disability Research.  ALBAIK had previously signed an agreement with the King Salman Center for Disability Research to implement the Universal Accessibility Code, ensuring all its new outlets are easily accessible and conforming with the set standards. The initiative also aims at empowering those with disabilities and opening avenues for job creation, turning their challenges into opportunities. From a campaign idea aiming to raise the awareness on parking for the disabled, under the slogan ‘Please Park It Right’, today Safar Alhaqabani and his team work hand in hand with the Traffic Police to ease congestion and parking challenges.   

 

The Global SABRE Awards recognizes the 40 best public relations programs of the past year, from around the globe, selected from among the winners of the regional competitions. The SABRE Awards--which include competitions from the Americas, EMEA and the Asia-Pacific region--attract more than 5,000 entries from more than 60 countries, so that the winners of the Global awards are the best  of the best , representing the best practices in categories ranging from social media to social responsibility, from public affairs to employee communications.