Company: Pru Life UK, Taguig City Philippines
Company Description: Established in 1996, Pru Life UK is the pioneer of insuravest, or investment-linked life insurance products, in the Philippines and is one of the first life insurance companies approved to distribute US dollar-denominated investment-linked life insurance policies in the country. Since its establishment, Pru Life UK has expanded its reach to over 190 branches in the Philippines.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - Climate Change
 Nomination Title: Integrating climate education into the community-based financial literacy program
- Which will you submit for this nomination, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the nominated campaign or program, OR written answers to the questions for this category? CHOOSE ONE:
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this second question: Describe the genesis of the nominated campaign or program: the reasons it was initiated, the challenges it was created to address, the problems it was developed to solve, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 235 words used.
Pru Life UK, the Philippines’ leading life insurance company, believes it is essential to start considering the health impacts of climate change. Moreover, Pru Life UK recognizes that educating financially excluded and underserved communities is essential given that they are the ones most vulnerable to the ill effects of climate change–and its possible economic repercussions.
It is with this in mind that Pru Life UK commissioned a pioneering study entitled “How will climate change affect the health of Filipinos in the next decade?” in 2021.
To ensure the study’s credibility, Pru Life UK engaged Dr. Renzo Guinto, a leading planetary health expert and the Planetary and Global Health Program Director at St. Luke’s Medical Center College of Medicine, to be its primary author.
The study’s findings proved to be alarming: it projected that injuries and deaths due to typhoons and flooding, heat-related illnesses, and vector and water-borne diseases will increase in the next decade.
The study also showed that with the Philippines already one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, the health effects of climate change are already manifesting and impacting Filipinos, especially underserved communities.
Acknowledging this proved innovative, as the impact of environmental changes on health, especially mental well-being, is often overlooked in traditional discourse.
Along with the above, the study also included recommendations to mitigate the effects of climate change on health, including making financial security a climate adaptation measure.
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this third question: Describe the development of the campaign or program: the planning process, the goal setting, the creative and media development, the scheduling, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 232 words used.
To leverage on the study, Pru Life UK developed a grassroots-level and community-based literacy program to raise awareness of the link between climate change and financial security among its target audience.
A supplemental laymanized toolkit in Taglish entitled “Climate Change, Ano Nga Ba Ito?” (“What Is Climate Change?”) by Dr. Guinto and Dr. John Aruta, a psychologist, associate professor, and research fellow at De La Salle University supported the community-based literacy program.The toolkit was used as the main presentation material and handout to the participants during the community discussions.
In it, Dr. Guinto drew on the highlights of the earlier commissioned study, “How will climate change affect the health of Filipinos in the next decade?” while Dr. Aruta emphasized that the health effects of climate change, as noted in the 2021 paper, also extended to mental health.
Next, Pru Life UK chose community partners and the locations for the integrated climate and financial security education sessions.
The insurer identified Lian, Batangas; Taytay, Palawan; Bantayan Island, Cebu; and Mandaluyong City as the community beneficiaries. Pru Life UK selected these locations in collaboration with non-governmental organizations, such as the Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) and the Rotary Club of Mandaluyong-Biyaya, and the government units of the above areas who share an interest with Pru Life UK in incorporating climate and health in their community education efforts.
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this fourth question: Outline the activities and concrete results of this campaign or program since the beginning of 2022. Even if your initiative started before 2022, limit your response to activities and results since the beginning of 2022 only (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
Pru Life UK reached 522 primary beneficiaries across the identified communities through the Climate and Health Education Sessions. During each session, Dr. Guinto, Dr. Aruta, and psychologist Marika Melgar led the discussions on climate change and health, while Pru Life UK’s agency leaders in the communities handled the financial management talk.
The insurer tapped ASSIST, which has a farming community in Lian, Batangas. Pru Life UK and ASSIST previously worked on the financial literacy program called the Wais sa Pera si Juana (Juana is money-wise). The insurer included the toolkit in the expanded session, which gathered 43 beneficiaries, who were primarily women farmers.
In Taytay, Palawan, Pru Life UK held the session during the distribution of PRUBabies, a free six-month life insurance coverage for newborn babies. Together with Palawan Board Member Anton Alvarez and the Taytay, Palawan municipal government, the session gathered 261 participants, primarily mothers and parents from underserved communities.
In Bantayan Island, Cebu, Pru Life UK and ASSIST gathered 88 parents, teachers, and community leaders.
Lastly, with the help of the Rotary Club of Mandaluyong-Biyaya and Councilor Cruz, Pru Life UK held the session for 130 solo parents in the city.
Most of the beneficiaries had no prior knowledge of life insurance, and the sessions were able to introduce them to the concept at least. Moreover, Pru Life UK was also able to educate the beneficiaries about climate change and that it is not solely an environmental issue but also a public health concern that impacts financial security.
- You have the option to reference here any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 3 words used.
(see supporting documents)
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this first question: Specify the date on which this campaign or program was launched:
July 2023
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