Argentina: Testing the blind

Limited prospects

Prejudice, lack of education and other obstacles mean that work opportunities for Argentina's 2.6 million disabled people are few and far between. With general unemployment in the country already running high (around 14.5%), people with disabilities face even greater competition for jobs. Nine out of ten of the country's disabled adults face long-term unemployment.

New opportunities

Several organisations are working in Argentina to develop employment schemes for people with disabilities. One of these is the consultancy Staffing and Training Group, which has experience of training people with sight problems to work as tasters in the wine industry. When the company approached Unilever in 2002 with a similar idea for fragrance testing, our Home and personal care business jumped at the opportunity and invited Firmenich, our fragrance supplier, to take part too.

The beauty of the proposal was that it drew on the well-developed sensory abilities of blind and partially sighted people. In this way, the testing programme is tapping into unique skills that they can offer. Each tester is required to assess the quality, strength and durability of the fragrances used in Unilever products such as deodorants, hair products and soaps.

A multi-partner project

From the start, the project focused on the principle of partnership. Working closely with the Ministry of Labour and the Staffing and Training Group, Unilever Argentina’s deodorants and hair divisions organised a two-month training scheme. Seeing the initiative as a potential model for other employment programmes, the Inter-American Development Bank put up the funding for this initial training.

"It was a pleasure to train a panel with such olfactory sensibility and who were so highly motivated," says Monica Oneto, Fragrance specialist for Unilever Argentina.

Before the initiative, Unilever Argentina didn't have a dedicated testing team. The job had always been carried out by employees in research and development functions alongside their main responsibilities. We recognised that having a specialist testing panel would free up these R&D professionals to concentrate on their core roles.

Unilever guaranteed jobs for the blind and partially sighted participants if they could show they were able to meet our high product testing standards. Of the 62 who started the course, 42 reached the necessary level and 23 are now working for us. All the successful participants report an increase in self-confidence and self-esteem.

A win–win relationship

"Within the panel, I feel able to develop my abilities and that makes me feel good. I'm looking to learn and progress. At a personal level, my participation in the panel is important because it's enabled me to grow in confidence and to improve myself. That a company should puts its confidence in the panel to undertake this work makes us feel important and valued," says 30-year-old Daniel Santiago, who lost his sight at the age of 18.

"This project is an innovative and relevant way of doing business. But just to clarify: this project is not about charity. It has a huge connection with our business, it is a win–win relationship," says Jack Smart, Corporate affairs manager for Unilever Argentina.

Seeing the potential

The idea has proved so successful that Unilever Argentina is looking to extend the programme to its food divisions. Our Hellmann's brand has already done a test with the panel. Our other companies in Latin America are also interested in developing similar schemes.

But it's not just Unilever who see the programme's potential. Argentina's largest dairy company, for example, has started a similar scheme after hearing us discuss our experiences in a public presentation.