We care deeply about people: about the farmers, artisans, builders, sewers, and everyone that makes our products possible, including their children, families, and surrounding communities.
Promoting diversity and equality
Equality and diversity are an integral part of our culture, where people from different backgrounds, nationalities, and beliefs work together every day. We seek to provide all people with equal opportunities and remove any potential for discrimination.
We take extra steps to support women employees by providing childcare facilities, the ability to work from home, courses for acquiring additional skills, as well as support and regular medical guidance sessions for reproductive health.
Through the SEKEM Development Foundation we have also established a Special Needs Program, which includes arts programming, academics, vocational training and job placement for people with disabilities.
Fostering a fair, healthy & safe workplace
We are committed to providing and supporting fair wages, as well as healthy and safe workplaces for every person we work with, directly or indirectly. To ensure human rights adherence along our supply chain, we strictly apply Fair Trade (link to EoL) principles within our purchasing practices.
Our commitment to the safety and wellbeing of people has also translated into the creation of the SEKEM Medical Center, which provides basic medical services for employees and our surrounding 40,000 community members using holistic and integrative medical practices.
Education and literacy programs
Egypt has a literacy rate of 71%, which is one of the lowest among middle income countries. We believe that literacy is a human right, and every employee has the opportunity to receive reading and writing lessons.
To address the need for improving access to education for young people, the SEKEM School was founded in 1989 and includes a primary, preparatory, and secondary school with an enrollment of 300 students. The school is located about 37 miles northeast of Cairo, on the SEKEM campus. Employees’ children as well as children from neighboring villages and towns, from all socioeconomic backgrounds, come together to learn.
We also provide vocational training to give young people skills that are in high demand on the local labor market. Our Vocational Training Center, which has been accredited since 1999, is currently training 180 students in 9 different professions such as mechanics, plumbing, carpentry, organic agriculture, and photovoltaic installation and maintenance (for solar energy technology).
Because of the lack of employment opportunities in Egypt, this hands-on practical training prepares students to start their own successful businesses, setting them on a path to financial security and a future where they can thrive.