L’Oreal pledges $340k to help women’s aid group expand into KSA

The French beauty giant last year launched a $60 million endowment fund. (Supplied)
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Updated 15 May 2021
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L’Oreal pledges $340k to help women’s aid group expand into KSA

  • As part of the L’Oreal Fund for Women, the pledge will be given to Shamsaha

RIYADH: L’Oreal, the world’s biggest cosmetics group, has pledged SR1.26 million ($340,000) to help a women’s domestic abuse support group expand its operations into Saudi Arabia.

The French beauty giant last year launched a $60 million endowment fund to support initiatives to help women around the world affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

As part of the L’Oreal Fund for Women, the pledge will be given to Shamsaha, a Bahrain-based nonprofit corporation dedicated to women’s empowerment, to help fund its two-year plan to expand into Saudi Arabia.

Shamsaha provides 24/7 crisis support for victims of abuse and domestic violence, and the funding from L’Oreal will be used to set up partnerships with key stakeholders in the Kingdom to offer Saudi women medical, therapeutic and legal support, as well as food, supplies and transportation.

“The pandemic’s lockdown measures created a very trying environment for everyone across the globe, but even more so for victims of domestic abuse. As a group that has been committed to empowering women, it was essential to take action to help the most vulnerable, particularly those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Remi Chadapaux, managing director of L’Oreal Middle East, said in a statement.

L’Oreal, the owner of brands such as Maybelline, Lancome and Garnier, in February predicted there would be a rebound in makeup sales once the impact of the pandemic had declined and people begin to return to work.

This was evident in first-quarter sales, which rose 10.2 percent year-on-year to €7.6 billion ($9.1 billion), beating analysts’ expectations, mainly due to strong sales in China.


Saudi Arabia leads outcome-based education to prepare future-ready generations: Harvard Business Review

A Harvard sign is seen at the Harvard University campus in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 27, 2025. (AFP)
Updated 10 February 2026
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Saudi Arabia leads outcome-based education to prepare future-ready generations: Harvard Business Review

  • The Riyadh-based school group developed a strategy that links every classroom activity to measurable student competencies, aiming to graduate learners equipped for the digital economy and real-world contexts

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s education system is undergoing a sweeping transformation aligned with Vision 2030, shifting from traditional, input-focused methods to outcome-based education designed to equip students with future-ready skills, Harvard Business Review Arabic reported.

The transformation is being adopted and spearheaded by institutions such as Al-Nobala Private Schools, which introduced the Kingdom’s first national “learning outcomes framework,” aimed at preparing a generation of leaders and innovators for an AI-driven future, the report said.

Al-Nobala has leveraged international expertise to localize advanced learning methodologies.

The Riyadh-based school group developed a strategy that links every classroom activity to measurable student competencies, aiming to graduate learners equipped for the digital economy and real-world contexts. The school’s group approach combines traditional values with 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, communication, innovation and digital fluency.

According to the report, the shift addresses the growing gap between outdated models built for low-tech, resource-constrained environments and today’s dynamic world, where learners must navigate real-time information, virtual platforms, and smart technologies.

“This is not just about teaching content, it’s about creating impact,” the report noted, citing how Al-Nobala’s model prepares students to thrive in an AI-driven world while aligning with national priorities.

The report noted that Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education has paved the way for this shift by transitioning from a centralized controller to a strategic enabler, allowing schools such as Al-Nobala to tailor their curriculum to meet evolving market and societal needs. This is part of the long-term goal to place the Kingdom among the top 20 global education systems.

Al-Nobala’s work, the report stated, has succeeded in serving the broader national effort to link education outcomes directly to labor market demands, helping to fulfill the Vision 2030 pillar of building a vibrant society with a thriving economy driven by knowledge and innovation.

Last February, Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Benyan, Saudi Arabia’s minister of education, said that the Kingdom was making “an unprecedented investment in education,” with spending aligned to the needs of growth and development. He said that in 2025, education received the second-largest share of the state budget, totaling $53.5 billion.