Hayleys works to quench the thirst for knowledge in the North and NC Provinces

Puritas Sath Diyawara: Going Beyond distributes school supply pack for 2019

• Provides essential school supplies to 2,533 students across 11 schools
• Each school pack filled with essentials for an entire school year

Iconic diversified multinational conglomerate, Hayleys PLC successfully concluded its annual School Pack distribution for the year 2019, as part of the group’s continuing engagement with agricultural communities in the North and North Central provinces under its flagship ‘Puritas Sath Diyawara: Going Beyond’ initiative .

Running from 9th November to December 15th, ‘Puritas Sath Diyawara: Going Beyond’ encompassed 11 different schools in the Rajarata region resulting in the distribution of school packs for 2019. Each pack contained essential supplies like stationary, exercise books sufficient for a full school year, in addition to material for school uniforms, school bags, pencil cases, and water bottles which were given to 2,533 students in the region.

“We believe that access to education is one of the most powerful forces capable of empowering young Sri Lankans and that is why it is vital that we as nation, both in our professional and personal lives, continue to invest our time and resources in a manner that supports education and builds knowledge for all Sri Lankans. Our goal with Puritas Sath Diyawara: Going Beyond is firmly grounded in the belief that rural empowerment is crucial to national empowerment.

“That is why we take great pride in the growing community engagement which the Hayleys group has built up. Particularly at a time when this region has endured prolonged drought, we hope that our efforts will provide a further measure of support and comfort to these families, and help inspire a new generation to learn with passion, and ultimately empower and develop their communities and our nation as a whole,” Hayleys Chairman and Chief Executive, Mohan Pandithage said.

Distribution of school supplies was sponsored by a collection of Hayleys subsidiaries with Hayleys Fabric PLC providing sponsorship for Rathmalgahawewa Maha Vidyalaya in Kahatagasdigiliya while Alumex PLC and Hayleys Agriculture Holdings sponsored Anandodaya Vidyalaya in Thalawa and Sarakkugala Vidyalaya in Nochchiyagama respectively.

Meanwhile, Hayleys PLC sponsored both the Vijayaraja M.V and Rotawewa Tamil School in Rambewa and Welikanda while Hayleys Advantis sponsored Veeramanikkulam P.V. Balayawewa K.V. in Neriyakulam and Padaviya. Similarly, Hayleys Aventura, Haycarb PLC and Dipped Products PLC sponsored Nelumwewa M.V, Welikanda, Maithree School, Padaviya, and Parangiyawadiya M.V, Horowpothana respectively.

First initiated as part of a visionary social enterprise aimed at providing a reliable supply of clean drinking water to communities in the North and North Central provinces that have been hardest hit by Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown etiology (CKDu), the Puritas Sath Diyawara campaign has evolved to encompass holistic development of the communities through educational development, youth empowerment and enhanced opportunities for income supplementation.

To date Puritas Sath Diyawara provides 160,000 litres of clean drinking water daily to over 33,000 men, women and children across 19 villages in the North and North Central provinces since 2014. Each project is sponsored by a Group Company, and to date, the Hayleys Group has invested more than Rs.63 million in this initiative. It consists of a formalised water distribution network through a bowser and multiple docking stations throughout the village to ensure all villagers have equal access to purified water.

Over 140 years, the Hayleys Group has grown with a global presence of manufacturing and marketing offices across five regions with business interests spanning a total of 16 sectors. Today, it stands out as one of Sri Lanka’s most prominent success stories, having been the first listed Sri Lankan corporate to surpass $ 1 billion in revenue catering to over 7.6 million customers world-wide, providing direct employment to 32,000 Sri Lankans, in addition to providing indirect employment to over 20,000 people and accounting for 3.3% of the Sri Lanka’s total export earnings.