THE One Landmark Mall & Villaggio – Doha

Samah Hamza Emam was left hearing-impaired after suffering high fever when just six months old. Her parents heard about THE One’s commitment to hiring special needs employees through the Al-noor Institute and immediately contacted our Landmark Mall Theatre for more details. Following a successful interview, Samah landed her first job as a Receptionist, joining our Qatar team on 10 December 2011. She currently works five hours a day six days a week and her main tasks include filing, administration and assisting the PRO. Samah enjoys reading and surfing the Internet in her free time.

Franklin Galano Corpuz is a Filipino who was born with a hearing and speech impairment. We discovered him through a social networking site when his wife contacted a long-lost friend who happened to be our junior accountant, to help Franklin find a job in Qatar. As fate would have it we were scouting for a Pastry Chef for THE One Restaurant at the time and Franklin's experience as a Pastry Chef for a 4-star hotel in the Philippines was the icing on the cake! Upon hearing his story, Qatar Country Operations Manager Gaby Salome immediately agreed to consider Franklin for the position, but it wasn't all plain sailing. Franklin made international headlines in October last year when he was unjustly stopped at the airport by a Philippines Immigration Officer who banned him from boarding the plane to Qatar due to his disability. He and his wife - who is also a deaf person and the President of the Philippine Federation for the Deaf (PFD) - reported the incident to the Bureau of Immigration and eventually he was given the green light to travel. On 9 October 2010 Franklin joined our Restaurant team for a three-month probation period and we are happy to report that as of 9 January 2011 he is a full-time employee. When he isn't baking delicious treats and pastries, he enjoys playing basketball and helping the Qatar tribe learn sign language.

Hearing-impaired Noel Barretto from Mumbai, India, joined THE One Qatar team on 24 November 2008 as Backup Assistant. Despite the fact that his speech is also impaired, Noel can communicate with staff and customers with the help of a hearing aid. His mother heard about THE One hiring challenged individuals through a friend who had read one of our Corporate Social Responsibility articles in a leading newspaper. Excited about the possibility of gaining employment, Noel and his mother decided to visit our Landmark store. Qatar Country Operations Manager Gaby Salome was so impressed with Noel's positive attitude and capability that he offered him a position at THE One. Currently, Noel works six days a week, eight hours a day and his main tasks include maintaining cleanliness and orderliness in the Backup area, filing, replenishing shelves and assisting with wrapping products. Noel is a keen sportsman who has already achieved phenomenal success in the sporting arena, having represented his school in a national badminton competition in 1998 where he won two gold medals.

Filipina Vivian Penpillo, who was left paralysed from the waist down due to a car accident in 2007, joined THE One as a full-time Receptionist in March 2008. When we discovered that the Rumaillah Rehabilitation Centre (THE One Qatar's supported cause) refused to release her due to the fact that she couldn't afford a wheelchair, THE One Qatar Tribe decided to give up one day's salary each in order to raise the QR10,323 required to buy Vivian the chair and make her part of our tribe!

Ahmed Mohammed Issa, a Sudanese ex-football player, was employed as a fulltime Sales Coordinator/Cashier at THE One Qatar in December 2007. Before Ahmed started work, it was clear that some changes would have to be made to accommodate his wheelchair comfortably at the cash desk. Up to the challenge, the LDC and DC teams were set the task of fabricating a special ramp so that Ahmed could access the cash till with ease. After consulting with him, plans were drawn up and the building commenced. Dedicated Tribe members worked feverishly throughout the night to install the raised floor block and ramp to the exact requirements. To the delight of everyone the next morning, the cash desk was found neat and tidy and more importantly, ready for Ahmed to start working at THE One.