Inclusive communities

We aim to promote sustainable growth through inclusive programmes that provide equal access to resources, skills and employment opportunities. Our programmes include the provision of business and hospitality skills training, safe water, sanitation and hygiene, and support for smallholder farmers.

Our community programmes are gender inclusive by design. This means putting in place measures that reduce barriers to women accessing the skills, resources, and opportunities we provide through our programmes. For example, making sure that at least 50% of training participants are women and that women’s needs are met at all stages of design, implementation, and evaluation. We do this in partnership with Care International UK, a leading NGO in gender equality.

Business and hospitality skills programme

Our ambition is to create a hospitality sector that works for all. Our longstanding business and hospitality skills programmes, Learning for Life and Diageo Bar Academy, include a focus on promoting gender equality in the industry and empowering people from underrepresented groups through skills and entrepreneurship training.

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programme

A lack of access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) affects women disproportionately due to biological and cultural factors. WASH is essential for women’s social and economic development, contributing towards gender equality and the realisation of rights. Our long-standing partnership with WaterAid has supported us to develop gender inclusive design principles and ensures that we meet the needs of women through our clean water, decent sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programmes.

Smallholder farmer programme

Our work with smallholder farmers aims to enhance environmental and economic resilience and supports farmers adapt to the impacts of climate change. Key to the programme are gender inclusive design principles that aim to tackle the unequal access to agriculture skills and resources between men and women.