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 & biodiversity1.
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 businesses2. 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”2 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”3.
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 establishments4 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 women5.
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.
