SINGAPORE - Media OutReach^[1] - 19 November 2020 -Chubb^[2]'s annual Regional Day of Service in the Asia Pacific took place over the week of 2 - 6 November 2020, with employees in various countries and territories participating in community outreach projects.

In addition to our long-held focus on increasing educational opportunities for underprivileged children, outreach efforts this year were expanded to cater to the essential needs of vulnerable segments of communities impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Creative community engagement in the face of Covid-19

The needs of communities and methods of engagement have changed as a result of the pandemic. Adapting to these changes, Chubb volunteers from both the general and life insurance operations developed innovative outreach programs designed for the needs of their respective communities.

Paul McNamee, Regional President for Chubb in Asia Pacific shared: "In challenging times such as these, there is greater impetus for Chubb and our employees to step up and help our local communities. For this year's Regional Day of Service, our staff volunteers focused on initiatives which would have the greatest impact on their communities. Through innovative use of technology and continued collaboration with partners, we were able to successfully execute outreach activities while adhering to local health and safety guidelines across the region. We are proud of and inspired by our employees who have risen to the occasion and upheld the company's strong tradition of giving back to our communities in the midst of a pandemic."

Brad Bennett, Chief Operating Officer of Chubb Life added: "The Regional Day of Service is an important annual initiative that underscores Chubb's commitment to giving back to the communities where we live, work and serve. By focusing our efforts on education for the disadvantaged, we hope to improve their access to education and drive a positive change for the next generation. We are proud to play our part in building a more successful society and a better world." 

Cross-section of Non-Profit Collaborations Reflect Chubb's Cultural Diversity

Eleven markets took part this year in a range of volunteer projects, reflecting the company's cultural diversity across the region. Participating markets included Australia, China, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Regional Day of Service activities included events such as an educational trip and building a community garden; virtual engagements like fund-raising campaigns and workshops using digital platforms; and the donation of scholarship grants, educational magazines, IT equipment and other necessities.

Regional Day of Service Highlights

Australia

For various reasons, Australia will mark the Regional Day of Service through community outreach activities from 9 Nov -- 11 Dec with the participation of over 100 employee volunteers.

In Queensland, Chubb volunteers will be supporting Foodbank's Christmas Hamper Packing, while in New South Wales, the Grosvenor and North Sydney office will be collecting toys and books as Christmas gifts for the Smith Family's Toy & Book Appeal.

The Perth office will be helping the Perth Homeless Support Group prepare and distribute food to the homeless, and the South Australia team will be supporting Backpacks 4 SA Kids Inc by packing backpacks for children who have been removed from their homes, often in traumatic situations.

China

Staff volunteers conducted a presentation on environmental awareness for students of Puming Primary School in Shanghai and organized a quiz after the session. During the first week of December, employees will also be visiting the Chubb Hope School in Fengning, Hebei Province, where they will be presenting a donation of funds to the school and engaging with the students.

Hong Kong SAR

Thirty volunteers from Chubb's general and life insurance operations in Hong Kong attended two workshops held by the St. James' Settlement Jockey Club Upcycling Center, where they learned to use upcycled materials to make mask covers and cardholders. After the workshops, the finished items, together with souvenirs, were delivered to underprivileged children supported by St James Settlement.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, Chubb continued its support of the SOS Children's Villages (SOS) by organizing a series of virtual workshops for approximately 190 children and 55 caregivers located in Cibubur (East Jakarta), Flores (East Nusa Tenggara) and Meulaboh (Aceh).

Over thirty staff volunteers produced educational material and conducted hands-on activities for the children. The virtual workshops covered topics ranging from environmental awareness to entrepreneurship and included interactive activities like building mini-volcanoes and tie-dying t-shirts. Caregivers also attended a workshop and sharing session on adolescent psychology, communication and sex education.

Last but not least, computer equipment and projectors were donated to support home-based learning at SOS in Jakarta/Bogor.

Chubb volunteers engaging with children from the SOS Children's Villages

Korea

Due to Covid-19 restrictions in Korea, Chubb's general and life insurance operations tapped on digital platforms to organize creative fund-raising campaigns in support of the Community Chest of Korea.

Using the company's new healthcare app Chubb LifeBalance, employees donated points accumulated from managing their health through exercise, diet and the like. These points were then totaled up and consolidated into a monetary donation that was channeled to purchase toys and educational items. Over 100 employees participated, contributing a total of 957,030 points.

In addition, Chubb Life Insurance in Korea also conducted the Chubb Donation Challenge through Instagram, which provided matching donations for encouraging messages sent out to those affected by COVID-19 and tagged with specific hashtags.

Through these campaigns, Chubb provided 2,000 socially disadvantaged children in 30 facilities nationwide with educational items and toys purchased from small and medium-sized social enterprises.

Employee photo submitted via the Chubb LifeBalance app

Malaysia

Eighty Chubb employees participated in Malaysia's Nature in Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt where they submitted photos of specified items like plants, insects, bicycles and recycle bins in their neighborhood.

For every complete submission, Chubb will be sponsoring one underprivileged child supported by Ti-Ratana Welfare Society, Yayasan Sunbeams Home to attend an online learning program conducted by Free Tree Society. The 60-90 minutes program will cover topics like plant propagation, composting, and the climate crisis as well as hands-on vegetable planting experience.

New Zealand

Volunteers from New Zealand worked with Kelmarna Community Gardens to promote a healthy community environment and sustainable living. Employees helped with a variety of tasks including creating a new community garden space, the removal of weeds, creating a new compost zone, refreshing the chicken coup, cleaning and renovating the community shop.

Chubb volunteers separating and replanting new seedlings at Kelmarna Community Gardens

Philippines

Meanwhile in the Philippines, Chubb's general insurance operation and Chubb Business Services collaborated to raise funds for Yapak Elementary School. Donations from 100 employees were used to procure equipment like computers and wi-fi devices, and other supplies to support online learning as schools continue education amidst the pandemic.

Singapore

In Singapore, employees donated to a virtual fund-raising campaign to provide essential food items for needy families supported by Beyond Social Services (Beyond). Our intermediaries and distribution partners were also invited to support the campaign, which raised over S$9,000. Staff volunteers helped with the packing and distribution of essential food items to approximately 60 families.

Volunteers also worked with DBS Bank, Chubb's strategic partner and a leading financial services group headquartered in Singapore, and Beyond to provide virtual and face-to-face financial literacy lessons for children from lower income families during the upcoming school holidays.

Chubb volunteers preparing to distribute essential food items to families in the Redhill neighborhood

Taiwan

Chubb Life Insurance in Taiwan collaborated with Global Views-Commonwealth Publishing Group on the monthly donation of educational magazines to 15 primary schools in remote locations for a whole year. Staff volunteers visited one of these schools, Cheng Bin Primary School in Keelung, where they interacted with the students and introduced them to the insurance industry.

Volunteers also helped to proof-read books before they are converted into audio books by the Taipei Parents' Association for the Visually Impaired. A Christmas flea market will also be organized in December for staff to raise funds for the association. 

In addition, Chubb's general insurance operation organized a virtual fundraiser in support of Taipei Happy Mount, a facility that cares for the mentally challenged. Employees will be visiting the facility for a day, where they will hold a gingerbread house handicraft session for the children and help with the cleaning and maintenance of the grounds.

Thailand

Continuing their "Say Yes To Less Plastic" campaign, Chubb Life Insurance in Thailand collaborated with the Teach for Thailand Foundation (TFT) and organized a virtual contest for students to submit ideas to reduce plastic usage in their schools.

Employees also raised funds through online auctions of pre-loved items to support green initiatives and prizes for the shortlisted teams.

Chubb's general insurance operation organized a flea market to encourage staff to reduce, reuse and recycle. During the popular event, there were efforts to raise funds for the "Less Plastic" project, which recycles used plastic bottles into personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical staff.

In addition, an educational trip was organized for 100 secondary school students (grades 7 to 9) under the TFT network. They were accompanied by 100 Chubb volunteers on the visit to Khlong Khon Mangrove Forest Conservation Center, where they learned and participated in environmental and sustainability awareness activities.

Students from the TFT network were also invited to take part in an environmentally-themed drawing contest organized by Chubb where 25 students out of 200 won scholarship grants worth a total of 105,000 Baht.

Chubb volunteer working with a student to turn plastic bottles into new pencil boxes

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach (www.media-outreach.com)
2. ^{^} Chubb (www.chubb.com)