FWD Life Insurance (FWD Philippines) officially launched its 1OxFWD Volunteering Month in July as part of its Community Care program to empower people to live fulfilled lives and celebrate living.
1OxFWD Volunteering Month is a groupwide initiative in FWD markets, where each market pledges to volunteer and provide a sense of optimism to the communities. FWD hopes to empower marginalized communities and young individuals with financial skills to inspire them to be their own agents of change, while also strengthening and celebrating diversity and inclusivity.
“Bayanihan has always been one of the Filipino’s most iconic traditions, and we wanted to integrate that same energy into our initiatives,” explains FWD Philippines President and CEO Antonio Manuel “Jumbing” De Rosas. “This is a testament to how FWD actively invests in local communities because we believe in making an impact through combined efforts.”
Last June, FWD Philippines launched JA SparktheDream, a financial literacy program, with Junior Achievement of the Philippines (JA Philippines), that aims to equip students with skill sets to become financially capable individuals and develop their mindsets to become socially minded, positive contributors to their communities. Recently, the program has expanded to Mandaluyong City. FWD employees held sessions to educate primary school students about good money habits, planting the seeds for a future Philippines that is financially savvy.
FWD Philippines also collaborated with Humanity & Inclusion (HI) with the goal of promoting inclusivity and equality in the workplace and mounted a disability sensitivity workshop to help staff understand the challenges faced by people with disabilities. Separate workshops were also held for Valenzuela and Quezon City residents with disabilities to help them acquire skills needed to find jobs and succeed in job interviews.
Besides, FWD Philippines held the “Empowering Equality: Show Your Pride, Know Your Rights” Talk, which engaged employees in fostering awareness and understanding of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill to show how the company promotes inclusivity in the workplace and the community.
“Through these programs and initiatives, we hope to continue promoting financial inclusion, poverty alleviation, diversity, and inclusion through our Community Care initiatives that benefit various sectors – women, the LGBTQIA+ community, students, senior citizens, people with disabilities, and indigenous communities – and help them celebrate living,” shared Jumbing.
FWD’s Community Care program is committed to empowering people to live fulfilled lives by actively inspiring its employees to create a real impact in the community through volunteer-led opportunities. All FWD initiatives are in line with its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy.