Sun Life Philippines, through its philanthropy arm, introduces initiatives under Rise Brighter PH that aims to help improve Filipinos’ financial and physical well-being during this coronavirus pandemic.
Sun Life Foundation recently hosted the virtual launch of its CSR program that aims for a brighter and sustainable future. Rise Brighter PH pushes for impactful initiatives on financial literacy and better access to primary healthcare services.
A behavioral approach to financial security for educators
We have almost a million public school teachers and we often hear stories about their compensation. This is especially true for those who have been in service for years yet do not get an increase. Even with a sideline or two, they still incur debt to keep up with living expenses, tuition fees, etc.
“Nakakalungkot sabihin na karamihan sa kanila ay lunod sa utang, pero ito ang katotohanan. Sa katunayan, dalawa o tatlong linggo pa lang matapos nilang makuha ang kanilang isang-buwang sweldo ay ubos na ito. Kaya naman kinakailangan pa nilang mag-hanap ng sideline para lang mapunan ang kanilang mga pangangailangan,” shares Sun Life Philippines President Alex Narciso.
Sun Pera-Aralan is designed to learn of their behaviors and past experiences and use those to effectively develop positive and practical daily money habits. The program is developed in partnership with AHA! Behavioral Design Inc.
Teacher-beneficiaries receive a set of Peso-Sobre, a simple budgeting tool, to properly allocate their weekly funds. A support group is also in place via Facebook, allowing them to interact with fellow teachers and volunteer Sun Life Advisors for further guidance.
“This is a cause that is very close to my heart, being a former high school teacher myself,” he adds. “It’s hard to imagine how the people who mold the future doctors, engineers, artists, scientists, and more are the very same ones who are struggling in life. In the same way that teachers have given us so much, we too must give back to them.”
Last year’s pilot run with 10,000 public school teachers was a successful endeavor. They made it through every payday without borrowing money, thanks to proper budgeting and sticking with it. They were able to stay afloat during the quarantine with their savings.
“Nakakataba ng pusong isipin na aming munting programa para sa mga guro ay nagbunga ng higit pa sa aming inaasahan. Kaya naman ganado kaming ulitin ito sa ngayong 2020, hanggang sa umabot sa 125,000 ang bilang ng mga gurong aiming matutulungan.”
Bridging the health care access gap
We have yet to achieve equal access to health care services and commodities, even with the existing Universal Health care act. For example, the Philippines has 42,045 barangays as of March 2019 yet only 21,053 have Barangay Health Stations.
This is why Sun Life is focusing its efforts to provide sustainable health care on the grassroots level. They help to fill the gap together with Health Futures Foundation, Inc. through Sun Life Barangay Health Stations. Eight of these will be put up around 3rd to 5th class municipalities in Batangas City and will provide immunization, consultation, and proper information dissemination. Training will also be provided to the barangay health workers and health clusters leaders to better take care of their community.
These initiatives under Rise Brighter PH aim to touch 125,000 lives separately in the next five years, in celebration of Sun Life Philippines’ 125th anniversary. Follow @sunlifeph to know more about Sun Pera-Aralan 2020 and Sun Life Barangay Health Stations.
