HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE
When people talk about Sustainability nowadays, it is seen by some quarters as an extension of what used to be subsumed under a company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program. And in the glory days of CSR, we can see the connection quite clearly. Corporations would take on a cause, an advocacy, or earmark a specific charitable institution, and make them a ‘project’ of the corporation.
While Sustainability today is defined by the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, and are encompassed by a company’s Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) agenda; it does not preclude the company from finding opportunities that add to that mantle of thinking sustainable and being socially responsible. When you add the element of volunteerism, one can appreciate why activities such as the Hands On Manila Servathon are subscribed to by so many top companies.
Hands On identifies the advocacy, then sets about finding concrete ways to have volunteers serve that cause. And when you see both owners and management mingling with the rank and file in volunteer activities, it can’t help but put a smile on your face. And make you think this is one of the more genuine reasons for CSR existing.
Issa Litton and Marc Nelson were the primary hosts for this year’s Servathon, and so I had the opportunity to drop by their ‘beehive’ of activities one Saturday morning at One Ayala. The advocacy this year was the Fight Against Malnutrition. This is of grave concern, as every day, 95 children in our nation die from malnutrition. Another grim statistic is that 27 out of every 1,000 Filipino children, do not get past their fifth birthday. And that one-third of Filipino children are stunted or short for their age.
So many children suffer from malnutrition from birth, and during the important stage of brain development. If lacking in essential nutrients, children are at high risk of exhibiting impaired cognitive skills — increasing risk factors for ADHD and conduct disorders. And we all can see the future of these kids: delayed mental development, poor school performance, and reduced intellectual capacity. Is this the future generations of Filipinos? And what can we do to arrest this trend?
The volunteer activities that morning consisted of designing of nursing covers, the preparation of lactation booster kits, and the creation of infant toys (educational flash cards). The big hall at One Ayala was sectioned off with a number of tables per company that was participating that morning. Then, each of the tables were assigned an activity, and provided the material to create these covers, kits, or toys. Target outputs were established, so that each table would be cognizant of the task at hand.
The prevailing spirit of camaraderie, of enthusiasm, and how this Saturday morning was time well spent, were all palpable. I would go around the hall, and one could literally feel how the idea of team work and doing something tangible for this cause of fighting the malnutrition of Filipino children, meant something for the ones gathered there.
Too often, CSR and Sustainability are abstract concepts; a check issued for some charity or cause, ticking a box on a fund-raising app, or taking part in some charity dinner, fashion show, or auction. And there’s nothing wrong with all of those ways of helping. Here at the Servathon, it may have been on a soft impact basis, but it was personal — your time, your effort, your handiwork, your morning spent with company mates. And somehow, this elevated the morning to one of doing good in a very solid manner.
The ones occupying the tables would be checking on their seatmates, that output was on a high. To a degree, there was even a semblance of competition between tables, and between companies. It is a nice way of passing the time, and making the morning more interactive.
Volunteerism is not dead, and that was good to witness firsthand. For more information and details, or if your company is interested, head to www.handsonmanila.org. On social media, there’s Hands On Manila on FB, handsonmanila on twitterX, and on IG handsonmanilaPH. The advocacies Hands On Manila tackle are big, serious issues we face as a nation; and any additional sets of helping hands can go a long way.