The Philippine Star
September 24, 2024 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Guided by the vision of serving as catalysts for responsible development in the communities they serve, SM has put corporate social responsibility alongside expansion and sustainability as one of the key drivers of its growth.
SM’s social good programs are anchored on making meaningful impact on critical areas that affect the most vulnerable communities, among them in the health, education and jobs sectors.
By synergizing with a diverse network of partners and institutions from the public and private sectors, and leveraging its scale and wide footprint, SM is able to harness the full potential of its programs for the chosen communities and beneficiaries.
“SM Foundation integrates itself in communities to grasp the unique social challenges they face, enabling us to create localized, relevant, and sustainable programs. Engaging stakeholders in both planning and execution drives the success of our social good initiatives,” said Deborah Pe-Sy, executive director of SM Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the SM group.
Accessible healthcare to vulnerable communities
SM Foundation’s efforts to refurbish medical facilities, especially in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA), are geared to meet PhilHealth accreditation standards. The foundation works with the national government and respective LGUs, and immerses itself within respective communities to identify how best to facilitate medical services to remote areas.
Just recently, SM Foundation refurbished the Polomolok East Community Clinic, a health center that caters to nearly 50,000 individuals, predominantly in GIDAs, in South Cotabato.
The renovated facility now includes areas for specialized programs such as animal bite and treatment, TB-Dots, nebulization, counseling and family planning. To support health care workers in their roles, the project provided an enhanced dental clinic, operation room, conference room, physicians room and PWD-friendly restroom.
Embracing digital transformation, SM DigiKonsulta was also launched for teleconsultations and digitalization of patient records. The foundation also partnered with an NGO for a renovated pharmacy to provide the communities with reliable access to medicines.
Tools for learning
SM Foundation’s education programs place particular focus on serving underprivileged learners and communities. Its partnership with government, particularly in the Department of Education’s Adopt-A-School Program, aims to address crucial infrastructure needs and classroom deficits. To date SM Foundation’s partnership with DepEd has resulted in 366 classrooms built, benefiting 18,300 students.
Among the beneficiaries is the San Antonio Elementary School (SAES) in Batangas, where SM Foundation constructed a two-floor, four-classroom building.
“Instead of class hours being from 6 a.m. to 12 noon, it will now be from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Our students will now have enough time for intervention activities such as reading, numeracy and more,” said Joy Obreo, principal of SAES.
The SM Store’s Shop & Share for Education program is likewise focused on education, helping address the lack of basic school supplies. It is an innovative program as it invites shoppers to contribute to the effort by sponsoring a school kit for a minimum single-receipt purchase.
Shop & Share for Education aims to distribute back-to-school kits to 12,000 grade school pupils in more than 70 public schools nationwide. The first Shop & Share initiative in 2023 benefited 20 schools across the country, in partnership with various NGOs and LGUs of the adopted schools. This year’s initiative will have each SM Store adopt one school beneficiary.
An empowered workforce
In January, SM launched the Jobs Opportunities Building Skills (JOBS) initiative under the Private Sector Advisory Council of the government. Its aim is to help provide quality jobs through job fairs and upskilling courses made even more effective by strategic partnerships with the public and private sectors.
As yet another testament to building partnerships, SM JOBS recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines to provide upskilling opportunities to thousands of employees within the AmCham network and allow AmCham’s more than 800-member companies to participate in SM Job Fairs across the country.
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