Sun Life Global Donates to Local Efforts Addressing COVID-19 Pandemic

Sun Life Financial, Inc. (SLF), the parent company of Sun Life Philippines headquartered in Canada,  donated funds to support Sun Life Foundation’s implementing partners ABS-CBN Lingkod  Kapamilya Foundation, Inc. (ALKFI) and Negrense Volunteers for Change (NVC), as efforts to  further mitigate the effects of the ongoing pandemic continue. 

The funds have enabled ALKFI to assist vulnerable communities in Manila, Laguna, and Bicol,  alleviating hunger and addressing the psychological and health concerns of the beneficiaries. The  initiative focused on the prevailing need to provide food packs to the communities and to equip  community leaders with the skills to offer basic psychological assistance in these trying times. 

The initiatives have so far reached 1,490 families in 10 communities, most of which have high  cases of COVID-19 and where unemployment has significantly increased. Additionally, 100  community leaders have been trained on providing Psychological First Aid (PFA), so they can help  community members with basic psychological issues. 

Meanwhile, NVC, through its Farmers of Hope program, has created long-term assistance projects  that addresses hunger and poverty for the indigenous “Bukidnon Tribe” whose ancestral domain  lies in San Carlos, Negros Occidental. 

With family incomes averaging up to 60,000 annually, these farmer-beneficiaries are one of the  most marginally disadvantaged groups in the province whose situations have been worsened by  the pandemic.  

To lessen the pandemic’s impacts, NVC likewise set up a village-level post-harvest and food  processing facilities that helped create sustainable production throughout this crisis and beyond.  Directly benefiting these endeavors are 60 small-scale farmers and up to 300 households within  the community, whose livelihoods were affected by the lockdowns. 

“This pandemic brought about one of the most difficult times in our country that put those in  vulnerable communities at a greater disadvantage,” says Benedict Sison, CEO and Country Head  of Sun Life Philippines and Chairman of Sun Life Foundation. “I thank our corporate global office  for their continuing support and contributions, as we tirelessly help in the recovery and rebuilding  of our nation toward a brighter future.”