In a press conference held at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, PepsiCo, one of the world's largest food and beverage companies, in partnership with Ajialouna, a leading Lebanese NGO dedicated to supporting education, health and social activities; launched PepsiCo's scholarship program, Tomooh, for the eighth consecutive year. The program aims to empower Arab youth by financially supporting them to pursue their university level education.
To date, PepsiCo has contributed more than $ 1.4 million towards scholarships for Lebanese students, out of which a certain percentage is dedicated to students with special needs in order to encourage them to become active members of Lebanon's society. To date, Tomooh in Lebanon has helped more than 1,600 students across the country to pursue their education.
The ceremony opened with an informative presentation given by Mrs. Nada Koutoubi, the director of the Tomooh program at Ajialouna, on the behalf of Dr Lina Zaim Dada, the president of Ajialouna, explaining and showcasing the progress Tomooh has made over the past seven years. This presentation was then followed by a speech by Mr. Marwan Istaitie, General Manager of PepsiCo's East Mediterranean and Africa Business Unit in Lebanon, stressing the importance of empowering youth through education. Mr. Istaitie stated, "We look forward to renewing our commitment to contribute through Tomooh to the education of Lebanese youth for the eighth consecutive year and to build on the strong partnership we have with Ajialouna." He added, "Through education we can provide a brighter future for young people throughout Lebanon and help them get a step closer to realizing their ambitions."
The Director General of Education in Lebanon, Mr. Fadi Yaraq, praised the efforts made by PepsiCo and Ajialouna in shaping a brighter future for Lebanese youth through education.
PepsiCo's Tomooh education program was initiated in 2003, when Saad Abdul-Latif, PepsiCo's Chief Executive Officer for Asia, Middle East & Africa; committed $1million dollars for education of Arab youth at the Arab Economic Forum. Today, PepsiCo's contributions have more than tripled this original commitment. The program was officially launched in Lebanon in 2006, and later expanded to Jordan and Egypt in 2007 and has succeeded in providing support to 22,635 students across these three countries in addition to 100,000 family members of students in Egypt.
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About PepsiCo
PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola - make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment by conserving energy and water and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support and invest in the local communities where we operate.
