- Cumulative Group contribution reaches Rs. 111 m
- Improves the lives of over 43,808 people across 19 rural communities through sustainable projects
- Long-lasting impact through water purification, construction of fully-equipped libraries, digital classrooms and provision of essential school supplies
Iconic Sri Lankan multinational conglomerate, the Hayleys Group, continued to provide vital support towards education at its adopted rural villages under the banner of its flagship social sustainability initiative, ‘Puritas Sathdiyawara Going Beyond’ for the seventh consecutive year.
The initiative was launched as ‘Puritas Sathdiyawara’ to supply clean drinking water to rural communities impacted by Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), by establishing Reverse Osmosis (RO) water purification plants. Today, this basic life-giving initiative has extended to far-reaching sustainable community development, through investments in education, livelihood development and the establishment of fully-equipped libraries, and internet access centres under the extension of ‘Puritas Sathdiyawara Going Beyond’.
Hayleys Chairman and Chief Executive Mohan Pandithage speaking at this occasion said, “Hayleys continues to lead in the Sri Lankan corporate sphere with a flagship business model to live by example of sustainable business practices where the social and environmental stewardship runs in parallel to its record growth in economic performance. Corporate Social Responsibility is in our DNA.”
Puritas and Haycarb Managing Director Rajitha Kariyawasan said, “Puritas Sathdiyawara was born from an understanding of the urgent need to provide quality drinking water for communities affected by Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in Sri Lanka’s dry zone. The initiative was then extended to community outreach to reduce poverty, provide opportunities for quality education and work towards reducing inequalities. In that time, we are privileged to see an increase in the overall attendance, and an increased number of students being able to sit for national examinations.”
Speaking at this occasion, Puritas Head Sharmila Ragunathan, who has spearheaded and coordinated this project with her dedicated team for all business sectors of Hayleys Group stated, “We believe that simple measures such as removing the burden of school expenses from these families are the need of the hour, and contribute towards reducing dropouts. We are fully committed to continuing this vital work to strengthen these communities, and supporting them to overcome the severe economic hardships resulting from the pandemic.”
The distribution of the school essentials, launched in 2014, has today expanded to include sponsorship and collaboration from Haycarb PLC, Hayleys Advantis Ltd., Hayleys PLC, Hayleys Fabric PLC, Dipped Products PLC, Hayleys Aventura, Hayleys Agriculture Holdings, Alumex PLC, Mabroc Teas and Hayleys Fibre PLC.
This year, the campaign provides essentials to over 3,500 students across 14 schools linked to Sathdiyawara communities in North Central, North and Uva provinces.
In 2020, the ‘Puritas Sathdiyawara Going Beyond’ initiative facilitated online education for over 12 schools in partnership with DP Education, the free digital education platform dedicated to transforming teaching and learning excellence. These efforts ensured education continued uninterrupted during the lockdown period.
Hayleys subsidiary, Dipped Products PLC completed the construction of a fully-equipped library for the community in Parangiyawadiya, the ninth one provided to Sath Diyawara Villages under the initiative. Other than books, these libraries offer computers with internet access and free classes with the service costs borne by the community-based organisations for the children in the village.
A centrepiece of the Sri Lankan economy, the Hayleys Group maintains a global presence across five regions with business interests spanning 16 diverse sectors. Accounting for $ 600 million of the country’s foreign earnings and 4.2% of the nation’s total export income, Hayleys is a champion of sustainable innovation and represents one of Sri Lanka’s most prominent success stories.
(From Daily FT)
