EWC extends support to CSR activity in Tanay
by Esmeralda L. Averilla

“Maraming salamat po.”

These were the words chorused by the blissful school children of Sampaloc and Daraetan Elementary School in Tanay, Rizal where Pru Life UK recently extended its goodwill by distributing school supplies, books and even some basic necessities to the unfortunate victims of typhoon Ondoy.

On December 8, the same day as the Feast of Immaculate Conception, a team of employees from the Employee Welfare Committee 2009, Brand and Communication’s, Human Resource’s, ManCom, ExCom, together with CEO and President, Mr. Peter Grimes, traveled for more than two hours to the province of Rizal to personally visit the beneficiaries of Pru Life’s charity work. Clad with the Company’s red shirt, we gave out goods to pupils, put up a corner for the schoolchildren to read the books donated by Pru Life UK employees, and observed a psycho-social therapy done for the pupils who lost lives of loved-ones and properties.

Despite the evident struggle of people to cope with the aftermath of the devastating typhoon, we were still greeted with a short and sweet program prepared by the faculty and school children of Sampaloc Elementary School. This was followed by the distribution of goods which we did in pairs while others stayed in the covered court of the school to give out T-shirts to the parents and other community members. After partaking in a sumptuous lunch, the team headed for a one-hour travel by land and a two-minute boat ride to the borough of Daraetan. The school in this town was much smaller, with no library and enough school facilities. It took us less than 30 minutes to distribute the goods in each classroom.

Mr. Rey Revoltar, HR Vice President, opened the Reading Corner for the children which would initially be their source of information and knowledge.

I had never been to any voluntary work like this. I was prepared for the arduous task that comes with it, but I did not prepare myself enough for what I was about to see and realize.

Most of the kids go to school barefooted, with almost tattered clothes or school uniforms. For those who had lost their bags and other school items, they would just have one notebook to fit in all eight or more subjects. Some carry plastic bag instead of school bags.

I whine a lot. I complain more than once a day. We can all admit that life is difficult that sometimes, it takes away our sanity. We have all wished to be different persons, to have different jobs, to have higher salaries, to have more, and more, and more.

While those kids only wished to have notebooks, cheap bags, hand-me-down shoes, clothes, and books to enjoy so they can momentarily escape from and forget about the horrid pictures of that fateful day.

I am glad that for a moment, that for a good day, Pru Life UK has brought new hope and joy to these kids. They may not have said it, but the smiles and quick glances they gave us meant overwhelming thanks on their part.

More and more, Pru Life UK did outstanding job in reaching out to our less fortunate brothers and sisters.

If I may borrow this from the Rizaleños— “Taas noo, Pru Lifer Ako!”