In support of the government’s aim to reach herd immunity through vaccination, CARD Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI) participated in the recently held National Vaccination Day on November 29 to December 1 and 15 to 17, 2021.
The Microfinance and Health Protection (MaHP), a unit under CARD, Inc. (A Microfinance NGO), sent volunteer doctors and nurses to Sariaya, Quezon to assist in tabulating data and screening individuals. Prior to the National Vaccination Day, CARD MRI has already participated in LGU’s vaccination drives in Caloocan and Padre Burgos in Leyte, which later on expanded to Quezon Province, Samar, and Tagum City in Davao del Norte.
CARD MRI also assisted in administering vaccines to staff and clients and giving essential hygiene and health products for the municipal health office’s frontliners. Having about 8 million clients and more than 17,000 staff nationwide, CARD MRI also links individuals who desire to be vaccinated within its network to the LGU.
In collaboration with the Microfinance Council of the Philippines (MCPI) and the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF), CARD MRI also participated in educational campaigns for Filipinos to understand the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Helping the MSMEs
MaHP Director Dr. Roderick G. Belen believes that participating in the local government’s initiatives will help in advancing the mission of CARD to uplift the lives of its clients.
“Most of our clients are part of the MSMEs which are known to be one of the primary drivers of our economy. The only solution to obtain a source of income is for them to leave their homes to work, and they can do that only by being vaccinated. This is why we need to let our clients know that vaccination is a big deal for the community, so that we may help them continue moving forward,” shared Dr. Belen.
One of the ways to raise awareness, defeat misinformation, and encourage more people to get vaccinated is to spread health education through CARD e-Doctor, CARD MRI’s free online medical consultation platform that also shares webinars on different health-related topics for the general public. Aside from this, CARD MRI is also involved in the vaccination of its staff to immunize them from the virus and to protect the clients they interact with on the ground.
CARD MRI’s Staff Immunization
As of December 17, 2021, 94% of CARD MRI staff or a total of 15,950 staff in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao were already vaccinated.
“Part of helping our clients is protecting them from being infected, and we may achieve this by vaccinating our staff who interact with our clients on a day-to-day basis. The increase in vaccinated staff is proof of the staff’s dedication in keeping our community safe which is crucial in fulfilling our duties at CARD,” CARD MRI Senior Director for Support Services Marie Sharon Roxas acknowledged.
She also emphasized the role of Account Officers and other operations staff on the ground who became economic frontliners in their community. “An Account Officer visits three to four centers a day to collect their clients’ weekly dues. This places approximately 300 to 600 clients at risk. By vaccinating our Account Officers and our operations staff on the ground, we not only protect them, but we also protect our communities from contracting the virus,” Roxas concluded.
Nation building
With these initiatives CARD MRI is undertaking to ensure the safety of its staff and clients, CARD MRI Managing Director Aristeo A. Dequito continues to encourage its staff and clients to take the necessary measures to protect them and their family against COVID-19.
“Our staff and our clients are two of the greatest assets of CARD MRI. It is our duty to protect them and their families against threats to their safety. Therefore, I would like to embolden our dear staff and clients to get vaccinated and to continue to follow the health protocols set by the local government as we continue to do everything we can to fight poverty,” Dequito said.
Dr. Jaime Aristotle B. Alip also reiterated CARD MRI’s mission to serve the Filipino community, not just financially, but through nation building.
“CARD MRI is not just a microfinance institution offering financial products and services. It is important for the Filipino people, most especially the marginalized poor, to recognize us as a group of mutually reinforcing institutions that respond to the various needs of our clients in different aspects of their lives,” Dr. Alip said.
He added, “We are our clients’ partners in striving to achieve their full potential, most especially in the pursuit of improved health and wellness. Without this, our foundation will crumble. As a community, we need to work together to defeat the stumbling blocks that come our way, and we want our clients to know that we are here to respond to their health concerns. We will not leave them behind,” Dr. Alip concluded.
CARD MRI is a group of 21 mutually reinforcing institutions working together to empower the socially and economically-challenged Filipino families through its microfinance, microinsurance, and other social development initiatives in the fields of health and education. As of November 30, 2021, CARD MRI has served more than 7.89 million clients and has insured more than 26 million individuals.
To know more about CARD MRI and its services, please visit CARD MRI’s website at www.cardmri.com or leave a message on Facebook, @CARDMRIOfficial.
