International recognition for Sri Lankan CSR initiativeHemas ‘Piyawara’ project wins Award of Excellence in Asia
Piyawara, the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) initiative launched by Hemas in 2003, recently won an Award of Excellence for Support and Improvement of Education in Asia region as an outstanding, innovative and sustainable project in Asia, at the annual Asian CSR Awards 2007 held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The award was presented by the Asian Institute of Management.
"This is the very first time that Sri Lanka has won an award of this nature and demonstrates the success of this CSR initiative. Piyawara has touched the lives of thousands of children from all parts of Sri Lanka, from North to South and East to West, thereby resulting in a better quality of education for the pre-schoolers", Hemas’ Manager Corporate Relations / CSR, Shiromi Masakorale said.
Principal hosts of this event were the United Nations, Actionaid and the Asian Institute of Management. This year’s awards saw 186 entries from 117 companies in 14 countries, including Sri Lanka, vying for the prestigious awards. Ten awards were presented in five categories. All the other winners were Fortune 500 companies, Multinationals and INGOs. The awards were presented at the Gala Dinner Ceremonies of the Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility in the presence of over 580 CEOs from world multinationals, UN representatives, NGOs, international organisations and businesses from the region, and the media.
CEO Hemas Holdings Husein Esufally said, "This award is an endorsement of the success of the Piyawara initiative and a singular salutation to the numerous people who have played a pivotal role in this project over the past five years. In the macro perspective, this is also an award for Sri Lanka’s endeavours to successfully uplift the standards of pre-school education across the geographical divide".
Minister of Child Development and Women’s Empowerment Hon. Ms. Sumedha G. Jayasena said "This award is a pride for our country. I appreciate the initiative taken by a large private sector company like Hemas in understanding the national needs and focusing its CSR programmes to uplift the standards of pre-school children in Sri Lanka which is a need of the hour. This also shows the effectiveness of government and private sector partnerships in addressing national issues. This is an example for many to follow".
"This is the very first time that Sri Lanka has won an award of this nature and demonstrates the success of this CSR initiative. Piyawara has touched the lives of thousands of children from all parts of Sri Lanka, from North to South and East to West, thereby resulting in a better quality of education for the pre-schoolers", Hemas’ Manager Corporate Relations / CSR, Shiromi Masakorale said.
Principal hosts of this event were the United Nations, Actionaid and the Asian Institute of Management. This year’s awards saw 186 entries from 117 companies in 14 countries, including Sri Lanka, vying for the prestigious awards. Ten awards were presented in five categories. All the other winners were Fortune 500 companies, Multinationals and INGOs. The awards were presented at the Gala Dinner Ceremonies of the Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility in the presence of over 580 CEOs from world multinationals, UN representatives, NGOs, international organisations and businesses from the region, and the media.
CEO Hemas Holdings Husein Esufally said, "This award is an endorsement of the success of the Piyawara initiative and a singular salutation to the numerous people who have played a pivotal role in this project over the past five years. In the macro perspective, this is also an award for Sri Lanka’s endeavours to successfully uplift the standards of pre-school education across the geographical divide".
Minister of Child Development and Women’s Empowerment Hon. Ms. Sumedha G. Jayasena said "This award is a pride for our country. I appreciate the initiative taken by a large private sector company like Hemas in understanding the national needs and focusing its CSR programmes to uplift the standards of pre-school children in Sri Lanka which is a need of the hour. This also shows the effectiveness of government and private sector partnerships in addressing national issues. This is an example for many to follow".
posted by Don @ October 08, 2007
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