Local Initiatives

Through local charitable committees employees can address some of the issues affecting their local communities.

Asia and the Middle East

Following the success of the volunteer programmes in the UK, the first ever Volunteer Week was extended across Asia and Middle East in November 2008. A total of approximately 500 volunteers in the region took part, contributing almost 2,000 hours of time. The volunteer activities received overwhelming support from the RSA employees who took a day out to help those people in need and give something back to the community.

Asia and Middle East Volunteer Week

“As coordinators for the first Asia and Middle East Volunteer Week we worked with local CR committees across the region to share ideas and identify what charities to support.

The week was a fantastic opportunity to help our communities and live up to our promise as a socially responsible insurer. For our employees it was an opportunity to make a hands-on contribution to causes close to their hearts and help them feel proud to work for RSA.

At the beginning it was a challenge to raise awareness among employees in the eight participating countries. We worked with the Group communications and CR team to develop email shots, posters and T-shirts to help country CR champions promote the event.

All the positive feedback we received from employees and the charities we supported is testament to the week’s success, as well as the press coverage it generated. It has showed that our employees want to be able to contribute to their communities and just need an invitation to do so.

Organising the event helped build stronger ties between Group and country CR committees and champions. We all gained valuable experience and are glad to know that we have the support of senior management.

We have already had enquiries about the next Volunteer Week in 2009. We would like to see a broader range of activities and give our employees a greater say in what causes they want to support.”

Matthew Lee and Dorota Staszewska,
Asia and Middle East Volunteer Week Programme Coordinators

Oman

Almost 70% of employees enrolled for activities and contributed 144 hours of their time. Activities carried out included a cancer awareness walkathon organised by the National Association for Cancer awareness as well as cleaning up Qantab beach. Other RSA employees participated in organising family activities for World Diabetes day. RSA Oman also sent a volunteer speaker to conduct a session on empowering Omani women for AMIDEAST, a programme the helps women secure employment and trains them in leadership skills.

Bahrain

Volunteers from RSA Bahrain spent their time visiting the elderly as well as taking a children’s home to the cinema. Others donated blood at the Bahrain Defence Hospital. A donation box in the office raised funds for the Down Syndrome Association.

China

In China, over 60 RSA employees in Shanghai and Beijing volunteered with teams visiting a special needs school and worked with senior citizens in Shanghai Weifang Bead House. The RSA Green Project Team also went to 10 local schools to give presentations on renewable energy to 300 local children.

With the tragic earthquake in Sichuan province, RSA has stepped up efforts in many ways to support those affected by this tragedy. Employees were eager to contribute something to support the rescue actions and within just 2 days we had raised over RMB 27,000 for the Chinese Red Cross. The business in Shanghai & in Hong Kong contributed RMB 50,000.

UAE

In Dubai, employees chose between planting trees, helping children with special needs or refurbishing a clinic.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Volunteers from the Jeddah office gave road safety lessons to two local schools while employees from the Al Khobar office visited a children’s home and elderly house. Volunteers from the Riyadh office spent a day with the Down Syndrome Association.

India

Employees at our Bangalore and Mumbai offices worked with the HOPE Foundation visiting underprivileged children and providing them with essentials such as books, shoes and rain coats.

Singapore

Working with the Salvation Army Gracehaven, employees in Singapore worked to improve a local school. They set up a new library for the children, cleaned out a hall to convert it into a small dance studio and cleared the grounds.

Bicycles to Africa

Since April 2007, our Danish business has donated approximately 600 bicycles to “European Baisikeli”. If a bicycle is reported stolen and then found and handed in to police after the insurance money has been paid to the customers, it is given to European Baisikeli. The bicycles are then donated to projects in Africa such as bicycle repair workshops in Tanzania and in Sierra Leone. The profits from the sales of the bicycles are spent on education and establishing new bicycle repair workshops in Africa.

UK

Employees in the UK dressed up to participate in the pantomime horse derby for Breast Cancer Campaign. The networking event raised over £14,000 for the campaign. The funds are helping innovative world-class research to understand how breast cancer develops, leading to improved diagnosis, treatment, prevention and cure.

In Bristol, colleagues gave a local hospice for cancer patients a garden makeover. The new graduates and Fast Trackers turned their hands to helping others less fortunate with the charity Kids Company, renovating playgrounds and helping run art workshops with children. The Emerging Markets central team helped out a crime prevention charity, Victim Support, by working with an elderly resident who needed gardening assistance having been a victim of crime.

RSA works with Trees for Cities to replace trees which are removed by subsidence claims. Legal, company secretarial and compliance departments had the largest ever volunteer team of 70 employees. The team helped by planting trees, bulbs and wildflowers to improve the East London Park. In total, more than 1,200 UK employees were involved.

Ireland

Ireland’s employees supported the Dundrum Festival in Dublin. A team of volunteers worked hard for two days cutting grass, getting rid of rubbish and tidying up public areas.

Denmark

Employees in Denmark volunteered their time, assisting at a race to raise awareness against bullying. The event was organised by Save the Children and attended by Crown Princess Mary.

To launch a new sponsorship of the Danish Gymnastics and Sports organisation, RSA sent invitations to a sports day to 150 local schools. A total of sixty employees from Codan and DGI organised activities to inspire children to become healthy as well as games with reflector vests to teach the importance of being visible in traffic. Approximately 300 children and their parents attended the event.