AXA Philippines bolsters culture of volunteerism, puts the spotlight on women-centric cause

AXA Philippines keeps the culture of volunteerism alive by advancing women’s protection and empowerment at the recent AXA Week for Good. The week-long engagement is a global, AXA-wide initiative where all employees come together by offering their time and skills to champion various social impact initiatives. The women-centric initiatives, along with other volunteer activities, support the company’s global sustainability pillars of inclusive protection and climate change & biodiversity.    

The insurance provider has a long-standing history of supporting various causes and devoting time and resources to programs that protect women, their families, and their businesses. Through the AXA Group’s international volunteering program “AXA Hearts in Action”, the company has maintained a strong sense of corporate social responsibility across all its entities. The program has been instrumental in uniting the organization as One AXA in working towards a better future and helping vulnerable communities globally. The global insurer has also taken strides in increasing women’s access to insurance products and services through the “Women in Insurance” initiative among other ongoing campaigns and community programs for women.

AXA Philippines CEO Bernardo Rafael Serrano Lopez sees a greater purpose in their role as insurance providers.  He said, “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”.

With a desire to better serve women, AXA Philippines championed women-centric volunteer activities. A total of 1,200 hygiene kits were donated, exceeding the initial target of 1,000, to women beneficiaries in Binangonan, Rizal; Paco, Manila; and Cardona, Rizal. Moreover, the beneficiaries received 414 liters of dishwashing soap made by the volunteers. This is in line with AXA’s goal of providing livelihood assistance and empowering more women to become entrepreneurs and start their own businesses. In the Philippines, only 313,608 out of all registered businesses in the country belong to women. This is just nearly 30% of the total 1.08 million registered establishments based on data of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). The global numbers aren't far from this. According to the World Bank in 2020, only 33% of business owners are women.

A hair donation drive was also dedicated to women facing hair loss due to medical conditions. The donated hair will be transformed into high-quality wigs, empowering these women to regain their confidence.

In addition to the efforts dedicated to women, AXA Week for Good also serves as a platform to support other social causes. To encourage environmental stewardship and provide access to proper nutrition for children, AXA volunteers helped build a 200-sqm urban garden at Nueve de Febrero Elementary School in Mandaluyong City. The urban garden complements the company’s advocacy in promoting a circular economy with a follow-through project of donating fertilizer from food waste collected at the AXA office. The employees also had the opportunity to participate in a blood drive in collaboration with the Philippine Red Cross.

For AXA Philippines Claims Specialist Eirene Maramag, AXA Week for Good was an opportunity to further her passion for volunteerism while empowering her colleagues to make a difference. She said, “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."

This year, AXA Week for Good in the Philippines has witnessed remarkable dedication from 513 unique volunteers who devoted 553 hours to carry out 682 acts of volunteerism, making an immeasurable impact on the communities they served.

Serrano Lopez sets his sights on sustaining 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,” he said.

To know more about how AXA Philippines is building a better life for all, visit http://axa.com.ph.   

AXA Philippines CEO Bernardo Serrano Lopez demonstrated his commitment to empowering women by participating in the Support a Start-up activity at AXA Week for Good.  Over 400 liters of dishwashing soap was created for women beneficiaries to use as capital in starting their own small businesses.

AXA Philippines volunteers helped build a 200-sqm vegetable garden for the students of Nueve de Febrero Elementary School.

AXA employees came together in assembling over a thousand hygiene kits for the women beneficiaries of Kamata Organization in Binangonan, Rizal; Masiglang, Masayang Kapitbahayan in Paco, Manila; and Dalig Group in Cardona, Rizal.

AXA volunteers proudly participate in a blood drive by the Philippine Red Cross and a hair donation drive by Hair for Hope.