As the pandemic deepens, health workers at the frontline continue to have little in the way to protect themselves against the coronavirus. From repurposing any material resembling cloth or plastic, health workers report to work as our first line of defense but without all the necessary armor. The World Health Organization deems it “worrisome” that the country’s health workers have an infection rate of 16% compared to 2 to 3% for the rest of the region.
Seeking to remedy this, UnionBankers came up with a way to produce medical-grade personal protective equipment (PPEs) while sustaining the livelihood of those affected by the lockdown.
Through its team member-led volunteer program, GoBeyond Communities (GBC), UnionBankers came up with “Project All Covered”, which commissioned the female sewers of LinkSource Enterprise to produce PPEs for health workers at the Ospital ng Muntinlupa and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of St. Luke’s Medical Center in Bonifacio Global City.
To date, they have produced and delivered 200 PPEs to intended beneficiaries.
Digital GoBeyond
The project was a product of collaboration and brainstorming as UnionBankers exchanging project proposals for the benefit of nearby communities and organizations. As 90% of the company’s workforce are working from home, the big challenge was on how to become more creative and innovative with these proposals, which were all submitted and routed digitally.
Through the GBC portal, employees can download proposal forms, encode information about the project, beneficiaries, and budget requirements, following the focus areas of Education, Inclusion, Employment and Livelihood, and Environment.
Three-pronged approach CSR
As soon as the project was approved, team members moved quickly to look for suppliers of PPE materials, coordinate with beneficiaries, and plan logistics for delivery. Once the fabric was available, LinkSource owner Mari Vinzon sent over sewing machines and all necessary materials to her sewers who immediately started production from their homes.
Thank you for the opportunity you’ve given us to carry on with our jobs in the time of crisis. Because of this, we can continuously sustain our daily needs and household expenses.
– Annalie, LinkSource seamstress
Kim, one of the frontliners from Ospital ng Muntinlupa posted on her Facebook last April 21, 2020,
UnionBank’s Employer Branding and Communications unit initiated the project and crafted “care cards” with notes of encouragement for the healthcare workers. As it is their first GBC project, the team felt fully empowered in contributing “sweat equity” digitally.
The spirit of Ubuntu lives in every UnionBanker, even when they are apart. They continuously find ways to collaborate and co-create innovations for a better and safer world. UnionBank was also among the first companies to respond to the call for donations of their non-government organization partners Caritas Manila and Tulong sa Kapwa Kapatid (2KK) when the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) was implemented.
UnionBank Checkwriter, an online-based check writing facility, has proven vital for agricultural firms like Cargill Philippines to sustain operations. The Bank’s UShare platform has been making a significant impact to hasten and help increase the daily online donations of various NGOs.
