BDOF program for PWDs wins Asia Responsible Enterprise award
For the second straight year, BDO Foundation (BDOF) was honored in the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards (AREA) for promoting the welfare of marginalized members of society and empowering disadvantaged communities.
Last year, the foundation was cited for its efforts to help improve the Philippines’ healthcare delivery system through the rehabilitation of rural health units nationwide. This year, it received an award for its program to support persons with disabilities (PWDs) affected by Typhoon Yolanda.
BDO Foundation president Mario Deriquito and program director Rose Espinosa accepted the award and certificate of achievement at the AREA 2018 awarding ceremonies held in Manila. They were joined by Lolita Gelle, president of the Foundation for These-Abled Persons Inc. (FTI.), BDOF’s partner. FTI is a non-profit organization that promotes the employment of PWDs.
BDO Foundation is one of only four Philippine organizations across Asia recognized under the social empowerment category of AREA 2018. Other awardees are firms based in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
AREA 2018 recognized BDOF for developing a community for Leyte-based PWDs, who were displaced and left homeless by Yolanda. The foundation, in line with its disaster response advocacy, constructed 100 typhoon-resilient resettlement homes for the disabled people and their families in partnership with FTI and the local government unit of Leyte. The project was also backed by the Municipal Social Welfare Development Office and Institute for Social Entrepreneurship. The PWD community is touted as the first of its kind in the country.
The foundation also built a multi-purpose hall near the community to support the livelihood opportunities of the beneficiaries. The PWDs currently use the structure to manufacture school furniture, which BDOF purchases for the school buildings it constructs.
The award-winning community development program is aimed at alleviating the plight of PWDs, who have lost their homes and livelihood in the wake of Typhoon Yolanda.
The AREA 2018 awarding ceremonies were attended by hundreds of guests that included business and government officials, diplomatic representatives, social and community leaders, and representatives from local and international media.
Organized by Enterprise Asia, AREA honors Asian businesses that champion sustainable and responsible entrepreneurship. It highlights the participants’ leadership, sincerity and ongoing commitment in incorporating responsible and ethical values, legal compliance, respect for people and individuals, involvement in communities and protection of the environment into the way they run their businesses.