05 December 2018, Manila, Philippines – FWD Life Insurance, the most exciting insurance brand in the country, commemorated the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, with a Christmas Fair at the Treston College in Bonifacio Global City. Together with partners Humanity & Inclusion (H&I) and Special Olympics, FWD marked the occasion with a fun-filled afternoon of Minute to Win It-inspired games, team cheers and chants, as well as exciting performances.  

Greeting participants a happy International Day of Persons with Disabilities, FWD Life Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Grimes said in his opening remarks, “Today is a special day indeed and we are truly pleased that the FWD Community Care Christmas Fair was made possible with our friends from H&I and Special Olympics.”

“As we continue to collaborate and strive harder for inclusion for people with disability in the Philippines, we believe 2019 will prove to be yet another promising year of empowering people to live fulfilled lives,” Grimes added.

Launched earlier in 2018, FWD's partnerships with Humanity & Inclusion and Special Olympics form part of FWD Group’s Community Care program which aims to advocate equal opportunities and empower people with disabilities in Asia.

Specifically, FWD's partnership with Humanity & Inclusion aims to train at least 380 youth with disabilities across Indonesia and the Philippines to help them secure sustainable employment or entrepreneurial opportunities. Meanwhile, FWD and Special Olympics are championing the dreams of young people with intellectual disabilities by creating an inclusive environment that provide equal opportunities on the sports field and their daily lives.

Trip Down Memory Lane
 
• March 5 - FWD x Special Olympics Employee Launch (Company Town Hall Meeting), F1 Hotel BGC
• April 23 - FWD x Special Olympics Media Launch, The Palms Country Club, Muntinlupa
• Special Olympics 50th anniversary (The Inclusion Revolution)
• August 1-4 - Special Olympics National Games, Bantay, Ilocos Sur
• September 14 - FWD x Humanity & Inclusion Internal Partnership Launch
• October 17 - FWD x Humanity & Inclusion Forward Together Media Event, Century City Mall, Makati
• Disability Sensibility Workshops
• November 24 - Special Olympics Athlete Leadership & Mentorship Training Program, Marquis Events Place, BGC

In solidarity with persons with disabilities across the globe, FWD helped carry out the 2018 theme “empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”. During the partnership launches with the two (2) organizations, FWD began with its own employees pledging their support for creating an inclusive society and ending stigma and discrimination. Deepening their involvement in various community projects in the way of various workshops, training, and activities, FWD has realized a number of milestones leading to the year-end Christmas Fair. 

From playing sport to fostering enabling environments, each engagement has demonstrated how PWDs and people with special needs overcome adversity, allowing FWD employee-volunteers to gain not only an appreciation for the challenges they continue to face, but most importantly, empathy. 

Meeting athletes and ambassadors and interacting face-to-face with the community have helped FWD employees become champions themselves, beginning with shedding the misconceptions and stereotypes, until eventually shedding light on people’s potential and individuality.  

Welcoming the sustained partnerships with H&I and Special Olympics, FWD Life Philippines Chief of Staff Mervin Pobre said, “We are very proud to have embarked on this first year. There were a lot of discoveries along the way, and we remain committed to dispelling the notion that disability is inability.” 

“In 2019 and beyond, we have more plans to help promote PWD and special needs inclusion and we enjoin everyone’s support,” added Pobre.

Christmas Came Early

Ushering in the most wonderful time of the year, FWD volunteers spread the holiday cheer with Special Olympics athletes and Humanity & Inclusion project beneficiaries in an afternoon of fun-filled activities. The importance of camaraderie was also evident in the Minute to Win It games, putting everyone’s teamwork to the test and highlighting diversity and inclusion. 

To cap the event, Head of Marketing and Community Care Country Lead Roche Vandenberghe ensured that FWD will continue to sustain their Community Care program in the coming year and beyond. She added, “This year has been a fruitful journey to spread awareness, uphold mutual respect, and engender sensitivity within the workplace and in society as a whole and we hope the year to come will prove just as enriching!”