DUBAI: Dozens of Filipinos working at Emirates NBD recently paid a visit to wards at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office – Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (POLO-OWWA) at the Philippine Consulate General to cheer them up and let them feel the spirit of Christmas through gift-giving, entertainment and inspirational messages.
The activity was done through ENBD’s Exchanger Program, which creates opportunities for its employees to exchange their time for social good.
Elena Cruz, ENBD vice president for brand and corporate responsibility said the event is an initiative of the Filipino staff of the Emirates NBD Group, which has a growing number of volunteers.
“We believe that the migrant workers cause really needs our support. It is a representation of a lot of people, who have been marginalized in the Philippines, having to resort to going abroad and work at risk in danger situation,” Cruz told The Filipino Times.
“There is a challenge here,” she added, “because until such time that both governments address issues about how to make it safe for the domestic helpers to work, I think there will always be this case that there are people who would always try to run away from their employers.”
The Emirates NBD Exchanger Program was at the beginning of the year recognized by the global initiative of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, and ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, as the most outstanding volunteer program in the region.
Cruz said it is also the fastest growing private sector volunteer program in the UAE with over 4,000 active members. “We have just crossed a milestone in the Year of Giving,” she said. “The Emirates NBD Group has crossed 25,000 hours of community work and this is our big contribution,” she added.
The Filipinos, numbering around 200, are among the top three most active volunteers in the group. “They are our most passionate of the volunteers, taking part as well in a lot of social investment programs of the bank like environment, women empowerment, persons with disabilities and financial literacy,” Cruz said.
The ENBD volunteers visits wards at POLO-OWWA every two months provide entertainment. “We share gifts and a nice lunch to cheer them up and make them forget about their troubles and I think it is important that even for a few hours during the day we are abler to contribute to that kind of (activity),” Cruz said.
She said there are plans to extend the program to ENBD’s international offices. “This has been launched in Egypt recently with a very active growing membership of about 2,000 members. And now, our next move is to spread it in Saudi Arabia, the UK and our offices in Asia and India,” Cruz said.
