Our 2023 Social Impact

Every year, Marsh McLennan celebrates Global Volunteer Month in May. From raising awareness on climate change to empowering our next generation through volunteering with juniors, read more about how our colleagues in Asia have made an impact in their communities.

China

Colleagues across China not only donated books, dictionaries and reading materials to needy students in rural schools, but they also participated in a variety of other activities. In Beijing, colleagues combined physical well-being with sustainability, rolling up their sleeves to plant trees around the Great Wall of China to improve resilience against climate change and sandstorms.

Meanwhile, colleagues based in Guangzhou and Shenzhen partnered with the Guangzhou Gold Ribbon Special Children Parents Centre to create handmade gifts for children diagnosed with cancer. The initiative looks to raise the spirits and provide encouragement as the children undergo treatments in local hospitals.

At the same time, colleagues in Shanghai also donated knitted sweaters and teddy bears to children with congenital heart diseases.

Hong Kong and Macau

Marsh McLennan Hong Kong partnered with Plastic Free Seas HK to organise a clean-up at Shek O beach. At the event, 50 colleagues collected more than 20 bags of rubbish, and close to 100kg of waste was removed from the beach. Going the extra mile, the volunteers also sorted plastic bottles from the collected waste, with more than 100 bottles amounting to 3kg of plastic gathered and dropped off into the recycling bin.

The company also partnered with the Red Cross in a blood donation drive. More than 50 colleagues registered to give blood to support the replenishing of local blood inventories, which saw a shortage in May when available blood stocks dropped to only four days’ worth.

In Macau, 18 colleagues partnered with the local chapter of the Salvation Army, donating and collecting pre-loved clothing for their local recycling program.

Indonesia

Around 50 colleagues got down and dirty in the mud as part of a mangrove planting activity seeding 100 trees in the mangrove forest in Pantai Indah Kapuk, Jakarta. The initiative was aimed at raising awareness about the pressing issues of climate change and deforestation.

Watch the highlight video below to learn more.

The Marsh McLennan Indonesia Social Impact team also partnered with dedicated doctors from Mercer Marsh Benefit (MMB) Indonesia, to provide free medical care to 150 students of Elementary School Kutamekar 1 (SDN1) and the residents in the surrounding area of Karawang.

Home to around 80 families, Karawang is located in a secluded area and lacks essentials such as electricity, adequate clean water and phones. Puskesmas Ciampel, the nearest hospital, is located 15km away, and uneven roads and underdeveloped infrastructure further hamper travel. As a result, health conditions such as tuberculosis, leprosy, low blood pressure among pregnant women, and stunted growth among children are common.

The team partnered with the local health centre, Puskesmas, to provide the following services:

First-stage medical examination and treatments to identify cases of child stunting, tuberculosis, and leprosy within the local community.
Mini laboratory tests for health check-ups, including blood sugar, cholesterol, and uric acid tests.
Health education sessions to raise awareness and knowledge about hygiene practices, healthy habits, and preventive measures, particularly targeting vulnerable populations such as children and the elderly.

In addition, the team also distributed more than 170 grocery packages, 80 stationery packages, and 80 goodie bags. This initiative was made possible by the generous support of Marsh Indonesia colleagues, who raised more than IDR18 million in donations and contributed close to an additional IDR2 million to repairs to the school's floors.

Japan

30 colleagues and family members across MMC Japan took part in ‘plogging’. Part fitness, part environmentalism, plogging is a Swedish fitness activity that combines jogging with picking litter en route. The group collected 6.5kg of rubbish during the run, and also took the opportunity to network and get to know each other better!

10 colleagues and family members also joined a Bike and Camp initiative in Fukushima to raise awareness of the challenges faced by people with physical and visual disabilities. Together with local entrepreneurs, artists, visually-impaired students from Tsukuba University and hand-cycle athletes from the Japan Para-cycling Federation, colleagues enjoyed a para-cycling tour, learnt about mindfulness, and camped out overnight under the stars.

The camp also included simulated disability experiences which gave colleagues insight into the challenges and effort required to live with a physical disability, while teaching them to get in touch with and sharpen their senses other than sight.

Korea

Colleagues in Korea volunteered at Re-Birth Korea, a home which houses abandoned dogs to be adopted. Colleagues spent time playing with the dogs and also took them out for walks.

Hank Lee, CEO Marsh McLennan Korea, had the opportunity to accompany one newly adopted dog to its new home in USA earlier this year.

Colleagues also continue to volunteer on a weekly basis, providing English tuition to girls at the Sundukwon Orphanage over Zoom.

In addition, 50 colleagues across Marsh McLennan Korea teamed up to protect the ecosystem on Bamseom Island by clearing invasive plant species. As a designated natural sanctuary, the island is uninhabited by people, and is the home to a variety of plant and bird species as well as a shelter for migratory birds during the winter.

Philippines

Marsh McLennan Philippines partnered with NGO CSAM Foundation to support its flagship program LETS READ (Learning English Thru Stories), which aims to provide opportunities for children to be lifelong learners through literacy.

In addition to a book donation drive, more than 50 Marsh Philippines colleagues gave back to their community through a Read-Aloud Programme and a children literacy walk at a park.

Singapore

In addition to ongoing initiatives with the Food from the Heart and the Willing Hearts soup kitchen, Marsh McLennan colleagues took the time to clean up Coney Island, a beach in Singapore and Jurong Central Park across the month of May.

Colleagues, in groups of 10, helped reduce some of the 4,009 tonnes of flotsam collected in ocean waters around Singapore annually that pose a danger to marine fauna.

Taiwan

Close to 200 colleagues across Marsh Taiwan and Mercer Taiwan braved windy conditions to spend a day cleaning up Zhongjiao Bay beach, doing their part to protect the local environment. In what was a day of hard but fulfilling work, colleagues collected 88 bags of trash amounting to close to 300kg of marine debris.

Vietnam

Marsh Vietnam held their annual CSR Day in May. The first half of the day saw leaders attend a ceremony at Can Thanh Secondary School to present 12 scholarships to needy students. In addition, Marsh Vietnam also donated 10 bicycles to the school and presented gifts to teachers and school officers to recognise their contribution to the students.

After the ceremony at the school, colleagues came together to promote sustainability at Can Gio Beach. Colleagues not only picked up rubbish on the beach, but also went around delivering reusable bags to the residents in the area, with the goal of encouraging them to reduce the use of one-time use plastic bags. Finally, Marsh Vietnam also partnered with the People Committee of Can Gio to deliver gifts to 40 disadvantaged families in the area.

Thank you to all colleagues who volunteered and hope you had a fulfilling Global Volunteer Month!