Emergency response
At M&G, we are committed to helping communities across the world. In times of crisis or emergency, we feel it is our responsibility to make a meaningful contribution in the most appropriate and prompt way possible. We work with national and international charity partners and provide opportunities for colleagues to engage and get involved where possible.
In the UK, M&G plc was one of the first corporate sponsors of the National Emergencies Trust, which provides a mechanism whereby funds can be raised and distributed rapidly in response to disasters and emergencies in the UK.
We also work with our charity partners and organisations such as the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in support of our international communities.
Cost of living crisis
The cost-of-living crisis is now stretching small charities, already under pressure following the pandemic.
We seed funded the Communities in Crisis programme with UK Community Foundations to provide a coordinated approach to raising national funding and distributing it quickly to grassroots organisations working on the frontline in some of the UK’s most deprived communities.
Funding has been used to provide help to the most vulnerable. This includes assistance towards energy costs to ensure provision of collective warm spaces; food security, debt, housing and mental health support.
Ukraine
In response to the crisis in Ukraine, M&G made emergency corporate donations to support the relief efforts of our established long-term charity partners who were on the ground: SOS Children’s Villages and Habitat for Humanity, and the Ukrainian Red Cross Society.
Our strategic two-pronged approach provided immediate humanitarian aid as well as longer-term, affordable housing support to those displaced by the war.
SOS Children’s Villages provided immediate assistance with humanitarian aid, identifying children in high-risk areas and moving them to safer parts of the country.
The Ukrainian Red Cross Society prioritised repairing vital infrastructure such as water stations, homes, healthcare centres and schools.
Habitat for Humanity in Poland, Hungary, Romain and Slovakia worked with other NGOs to provide longer-term affordable housing in these border countries.
Covid-19
Providing a robust response to the global Covid-19 emergency was also essential, and we continue to support the recovery and rebuilding of communities in the aftermath.
In the UK, M&G plc was one of the first corporate sponsors of the National Emergencies Trust, which provides a mechanism whereby funds can be raised and distributed rapidly in response to disasters and emergencies in the UK.
We channelled much of our support through NET's Coronavirus Appeal. This focused on supporting those most vulnerable to the impact of Covid-19.
We also made donations to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Covid-19 appeal to aid our international communities, with funding allocated to those countries with the most pressing needs.
In addition to our national and international emergency response, we also worked with our offices globally and funded local charities providing frontline support to ensure they had the resources they needed to respond to the crisis effectively.