Climate and Health Resilience

Pru Life UK created a comics on climate change, health, and financial security entitled Maging Handa: A Story of Adaptation and Resilience Amid Climate Change. It features an engaging story to help readers understand more easily the effects of climate change on physical and mental health, as well as the role of financial security as a measure of climate adaptation.

The comics are based on the climate and health toolkit that was prepared for Pru Life UK by Dr. Renzo Guinto and Dr. John Aruta, Associate Professor of Psychology at De La Salle University.

Read the comics here: Maging Handa comics

To bring climate education to the grassroots and maximize the resources and opportunities from its financial literacy program, Pru Life UK launched in 2023 a community-based literacy program on climate change, health risks and financial management. 

The program is the next progression to the company’s climate and health advocacy which started in 2021 when it commissioned the study, entitled “How will climate change affect the health of Filipinos in the next decade?” The objective was to bring awareness and education on the key findings and recommendations in the paper to the grassroots. 

To improve engagement with the target audience, Pru Life UK commissioned a supplemental laymanized toolkit in Taglish (a mix of English and Filipino) entitled Climate Change, Ano Nga Ba Ito? (What Is Climate Change?) by Dr. Renzo Guinto and Dr. John Aruta. Pru Life UK also used the program to raise awareness and educate the communities that the health effects of climate change, as noted in the 2021 commissioned paper, also extended to mental health. 

Through the Climate and Health Resilience Fund (CHRF) that was set up by Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential plc across Asia and Africa, a Php10 million grant was awarded to CARE Philippines to work with Pru Life UK for the rollout of the Sustainable Health Interventions for Eradicating Leptospirosis and Dengue (SHIELD) Project in target communities in Malabon and Caloocan City. SHIELD aims to build community resilience against two of the most common climate-sensitive diseases in the Philippines that are expected to worsen due to climate change.

Launched in March 2024, the CHRF is a USD 2 million initiative that aims to support local programmes that mitigate climate-related health risks and build community resilience in Asia and Africa.

Pru Life UK held its annual community outreach for its adopted communities in Bantayan Island in Cebu in December 2024. The 2024 outreach featured a new climate and health program called Ulan Alang sa  Bantayan (Rain for Bantayan), a comprehensive program designed to educate and build resilience among  Bantayanons against the impacts of climate change, with a focus on water security.

Two rainwater harvesting systems were constructed in Barangays Sulangan and Maricaban for residents' use. Supplemented by the distribution of water containers such as pails and water jugs to each household, these systems provided over 500 families with a 2,000-liter supply of clean water.