No contribution was too small for a dream so big – a healthier future for all 100+ million Filipinos. The Post-It pledges may have been tiny, but together, they made a colorful mosaic map of the kind of country we envision for generations to come.
Last June 30-July 1, Unilab Foundation participated in the Corporate Social Responsibility Expo by the League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) titled “Collaborate. Sustain. Revolutionize.” Held at the SMX Convention Center in SM Aura, the Expo gathered over 75 foundations and hundreds of individuals who believed in and stood for various advocacies.
Many of them believed in a healthier Philippines – so much that they signed up for it, volunteered for it, donated for it, spread the word and filled an entire wall for it. This is our tribute to their unique contributions.
We saw it happen.
Slowly at first, then in steady streams, people poured into the Unilab Foundation booth. Each one was as colorful as the Post-It he or she held. Teachers, students, environmentalists, entrepreneurs, professionals, policemen, tourists, retirees – people of diverse backgrounds from all walks of life – stopped to share their pledges for a healthier Philippines.
“I will exercise by walking home.” “I will study hard.” “I’ll share what I know.” “Conserve natural resources.” “Promote urban vegetable gardening.” “I’ll be a leader!”
No contribution was too small for a dream so big – a healthier future for all 100+ million Filipinos. The Post-It pledges may have been tiny, but together, they made a colorful mosaic map of the kind of country we envision for generations to come - the kind where health of mind, body and spirit is available to everyone, no matter their background or social status.
The map was just a metaphor, of course. The real work will take much more effort, and much more time. But it will also fill actual health gaps and create a much more lasting impact.
Already, positive transformations are happening. Many of those who visited the booth signed up to access the #healthierPH Volunteer Portal, opening doors to different levels of volunteer opportunities. Others crowdfunded Play It Forward On the Move play kits that would go to children survivors of natural calamities, to help them recover from the trauma and reclaim their childhood. And each visitor left with a new awareness that a healthier nation is everyone’s responsibility – and within everyone’s ability.
Some of the most powerful interactions we had that day were with people working for education, the environment, or neglected sectors. We discussed partnerships and possibilities, all of us eventually coming to the conclusion that our goals had more in common than we thought.
Health, after all, is not solely in the domain of medicine. Even when medical solutions are available, disease and poor health still exist. That is because health transects so many other realms – the environment, social strata, literacy, infrastructure, politics, safety, even religion and gender issues.
Thus, the health of our nation is not just in our healthcare professionals’ hands – we each have a stake and a responsibility, too. Our language has a beautiful term for it – bayanihan, or working together for a common goal. Improving the state of health in the Philippines is the truest act of bayanihan, and calls on everyone to share their unique contributions to make it happen.
The writing’s on the wall; the map, at least on paper, has been covered with our promises. It’s a good guide for what we have to do now, and a powerful sign of what’s to come.
Let’s make it happen.
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