For the Caribbean’s largest financial group, Labour Day 2023 in Jamaica was all about life and debt, but not in the way you might imagine.

While for most, May 23 might have been just another day of optics or tokenism, Guardian Life Limited (GLL) through the Guardian Group Foundation, decided to grasp the opportunity to level up their core business to serve fellow citizens to show a debt of gratitude through sweat, service, and investment.

“We went all out this Labour Day upgrading various health facilities across the island, ‘labouring with love” by painting buildings and planting trees and flowering plants at five health facilities across the island,” noted an enthused Annette Atkinson, Senior Manager of Group Branding and Communications.

In keeping with the National Labour Day theme - ‘Plant a Tree for Life’ – the activities saw comprehensive programmes of enhancement to not just physical health facilities, but the natural environment for both health and aesthetics.

As a leader in the human capital development industry, Guardian Life Limited has traditionally paid close attention to relationships. For Labour Day 2023 this was manifested in tangible ways and 148 Guardian volunteers, accompanied by friends and relatives, converged on hospitals, health centres and other public health facilities within neighbourhoods and communities where the companies operate. These include the University Hospital of the West Indies and Victoria Jubilee Hospital (Kingston & St. Andrew); Ocho Rios Health Centre, (St. Ann); Santa Cruz Health Centre (St. Elizabeth); and Sandy Bay Health Centre in Hanover.

“We were also chuffed about the valued contributions of representatives from sister company Guardian General Insurance Jamaica. While the total injection of $3.6M was committed to provide the tools and supplies to facilitate the upgrading and facelift work on these facilities nationwide, GLL’s focus is sustaining meaningful relationships for life,” Ms Atkinson emphasised.

She further expressed Guardian Life’s gratitude to institutional social partner, the University of Technology, who provided 10 student volunteers.

Guardian Life joined a Labour Day work site at the University Hospital of the West Indies, planting palm trees on the day with a firm commitment to investing in an irrigation system to maintain the green natural environment, including the lawn adjacent to the Casualty Department – Jamaica’s busiest public health service hub. The built environment also benefitted from a facelift as the work team enhanced the Customer Service area with fresh, cheerful coats of paint.

Guadian Life Limited also threw its support behind what could be considered the major cradle of the Caribbean – the region’s oldest and largest maternity care facility, Victoria Jubilee Hospital.

“We refreshed existing flower beds and planted drought resistant shrubs and flowers to beautify the garden used by patients to relax, and of course, calming splashed of colour to the walls to further enhance the patient experience”, shared Ms Atkinson.

Annually, Guardian Life Limited through the Guardian Group Foundation, continues to support the resilient efforts of Jamaicans, particularly the most vulnerable.