VOLUNTEERISM is very much alive in insurance company AXA Philippines as it brings women in the center stage of serving the various needs of communities and the people while uplifting their health and socio-economic situations.
And where else is this more fitting to do than at the recent AXA Week for Good, a seven-day global activity that gathers all employees to dedicate their time and skills to champion various social impact initiatives.
With the AXA Group’s international volunteering program “AXA Hearts in Action,” the multinational has kept its good corporate citizenship social responsibility across all its entities.
The program has been instrumental in bringing the organization as One AXA in working towards a better future and assisting vulnerable communities worldwide.
What’s more, it has also taken strides in increasing access of the female populace to surety products and services through the “Women in Insurance” initiative among other ongoing campaigns and community programs for Eve’s tribe.
“Beyond contributing to the business, we are on a mission to empower people to live better lives. Putting the spotlight on women this year lets us fulfill that mission while becoming a trusted partner for women everywhere,” said AXA Philippines Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bernardo Rafael Serrano Lopez.
On health, other causes
AS part of the insurer’s women-centric volunteer activities, the company donated a total of 1,200 hygiene kits—surpassing the initial target of 1,000—to women beneficiaries in Binangonan, Rizal; Paco, Manila; and Cardona, Rizal.
The beneficiaries, likewise, received 414 liters of dishwashing soap the volunteers personally made.
Such activity is in line with AXA’s goal of providing livelihood assistance and enabling more women to become entrepreneurs and start their own businesses.
While more than 99 percent of all registered businesses in the Philippines are micro, small and medium enterprises, only 313,608 of them belong to women.
This is just close to 30 percent of the total 1.08 million listed establishments, per data of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Local figures mirror the global picture, wherein merely 33 percent of business owners are women, according to the World Bank in 2020.
Meanwhile, women facing hair loss due to medical conditions were uplifted and given high hopes through a donation drive. The donated hair will be transformed into high-quality wigs, empowering the recipients to regain their self-esteem.
The week-long goodwill activity also served as a platform to support other social causes, including environmental stewardship and proper nutrition for children.
AXA volunteers helped build a 200-square meter urban garden at Nueve de Febrero Elementary School in Mandaluyong City, complementing the company’s advocacy in promoting a circular economy.
Then came a follow-through donation of fertilizer from food waste collected at the AXA office. The employees also had the chance to shed blood for a cause with the Philippine Red Cross.
Project sustainability
THIS year’s AXA Week for Good in the Philippines was participated in by 513 volunteers who devoted 553 hours to carry out 682 acts of volunteerism, making an unfathomable impact on the communities they served.
For AXA Philippines Claims Specialist Eirene Maramag, this activity was an opportunity to further her passion for volunteerism while empowering her colleagues to make a difference.
“When AXA Week for Good was launched in the Philippines, I was eager to volunteer and encouraged my colleagues to join as well. The joy of giving and making our beneficiaries happy is an experience I’d love to continue sharing with my co-workers beyond the week-long volunteer activities,” she said.
The CEO of AXA Philippines shared his plan to sustain the company’s culture of volunteerism and providing inclusive protection for Filipinos.
“The immense success of this year’s AXA Week for Good stemmed from the collective passion and dedication of all the volunteers. We look forward to witnessing the continuity of our purpose-driven programs and offerings with the rest of AXA Philippines in the years to come,” Lopez said.
