Hearing dogs serve as the ears for the hearing-impaired in order for them to carry out routine activities.　PCA Life Insurance Co., Ltd. actively supports the efforts of the Japan Hearing Dogs for Deaf People organization that promotes the use of hearing dogs and the value these dogs provide for the hearing-impaired.

Japan Hearing Dogs for Deaf People

Japan Hearing Dogs for Deaf People was established in 1996 as an initiative of Ina (Nagano Prefecture) Public Health Center.　It is a training center for hearing dogs, certified as a “social-welfare service corporation” by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. In addition, UK’s Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, the world’s most successful hearing dog association, has selected Japan Hearing Dogs for Deaf People as the sole organization to conduct its promotional programs in Japan as the nation’s first member of Assistance Dogs International Inc., a global association with 76 member nation associations.

Japan Hearing Dogs for Deaf People

PCA LIFE Japan began collecting donations from its employees immediately after the earthquake and tsunami hit the Tohoku region on March 11, 2011, to help with the disaster relief and reconstruction efforts. The fund raised plus the money contributed by the Prudential Group has been donated to the leading international children's charity, Save the Children. The donation is being used by the organization to provide support to the children affected by the earthquake and tsunami, and to assist them recover from the disaster.

Save the Children

Ninety years ago one woman, Eglantyne Jebb, started a worldwide movement. She was driven by the belief that all children - whoever they are, wherever they are - have the right to a healthy, happy, fulfilling life. And the belief that change is within reach - if we have courage, determination, imagination and good organisation.

Out of disasters and difficulty, we know change is possible. Save the Children's experience, changing children's lives for the better during these decades, is the foundation for what we do today and tomorrow to build a better future for children.

Save the Children

Our Group has established two areas of focus in our efforts to make contribution to our society: "Supporting local communities" and "Protecting the environment." The followings are some examples of the social contribution activities in which we are actively taking part. ＜Activity highlights＞ Support of employees' volunteer activities The Group launched a program in 2006 that encourages its employees to volunteer in local communities. Through this program our Group supports as many as 108 projects annually. In 2010, almost 25 per cent of our employees around the world volunteered in their community and participated in a wide range of social contribution projects. In the UK, the Group provided support to over 3,000 individuals and more than 300 charitable organizations. Support for financial knowledge education In China, Indonesia and Vietnam, over 4,400 women participated in the financial literacy program that our Group has supported. 　（The accumulated number of participants since the start of the program in 2004 has reached 27,500） In China, more than 6,000 students have taken part in the Group's finance and insurance education program that began in 2007. In the UK, more than 15,000 people participate in the online financial education program the Group launched in 2010. Disaster relief and reconstruction Save the Children became the Group's new charity partner. The donations we collect are used by the organization to support the emergency relief efforts directed at children affected by disasters. In the US, the Group made significant financial contribution to help the victims of the May 2010 Tennessee floods. Following the earthquake that struck Western Sumatra in Indonesia, in 2009 and 2010, the Group contributed significant amount of financial and other types of aid. Also in Japan the Group has made financial contributions following the Tohoku earthquake in March 2011. （Please refer to the top paragraph） ※ Furthermore, the Group supports various initiatives designed to expand education opportunities for children across Asia. The Group has supported efforts to build schools, libraries and language labs, as well as to publish local language books, in a number of countries across Asia, including Vietnam, India, Cambodia and Sri Lanka. The Group has supported English language education in South Korea through sponsoring the 'English Adventure' program, which uses a bus equipped with language education equipment. This "mobile classroom" visits primary and middle schools around the country. In Indonesia, some volunteers from the Group visits schools on a regular basis and assist the students learn business knowledge such as financial planning, marketing, and developing a strategic plan.