Hanwha Life Insurance expands CSR activities

Members of MOM’s Care, a volunteer group, comprised of female executives and employees of Hanwha Life Insurance, pose at a launch event at the 63 Building in Yeouido, Seoul on March 13. / Courtesy of Hanwha Life Insurance

By Chung Ah-young

Hanwha Life Insurance has expanded its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities over the last few years.

The company boasts of 153 volunteer groups nationwide, which involve 25,000 employees. They are supposed to spend one percent or 20 hours of their working hours annually participating in volunteer activities.

Employees have donated part of their wages monthly for the “Love Sharing” charity fund while the company has contributed an equivalent amount to be donated to the underprivileged under the “Matching Grant” system.

The fund has raised some 9.74 billion won from September in 2004 to December in 2013.

“We have introduced the volunteer program as part of vocational training for new employees. As soon as they enter the company, they automatically become members of Hanwha Life Insurance’s volunteer group,” an official of the company, said.

The company’s volunteer groups participate in various activities once a week for the disabled, the elderly and orphans through alliances with regional communities nationwide.

For example, they hold volunteer events such as helping the elderly living alone or underprivileged children on Oct. 9 every year to celebrate their founding anniversary.

Last year, the company launched “Happy Tutor,” an economic education project for children in cooperation with Junior Achievement (JA) Korea. A total of 40 employees who completed the economic educational teaching programs teach children in the first to third grades at an elementary school in Seoul.

“As the economic concepts become more important, we provide easy and interesting economic classes tailored for their ages,” the official said.

It also established “Happy Friends Youth Volunteers” in 2006 along with the World Vision Korea.

Also, the company has launched the MOM’s Care Group consisting of female executives on March 13 this year. The volunteer group has engaged in taking care of children aged one to six in orphanages every month.

Since 2012, the company has helped patients suffering from chronic kidney disease travel for their dialysis every day.