Brandix adopts Nivithigala as its second ‘model village’
Provides water and sanitation facilities to schools and hospital under novel community initiative
Nivithigala in Sri Lanka’s Ratnapura District has been refreshed with water supply and sanitation facilities it received from Brandix, under the Group’s novel ‘model village’ themed community initiative.
Sri Lanka’s single largest apparel exporter has donated water supply and toilet facilities to five schools, two Sunday schools and a hospital in the Nivithigala area under the second project carried out under this initiative, benefitting more than 4,700 children and adults.
Inspired by the temple, school and tank – centred village development concept of yore, the Brandix programme identifies and addresses water-related issues facing people resident within a five kilometre radius of the Group’s factories. It involves the provision of water supply facilities to, or upgrading existing water supply infrastructure in schools, hospitals, places of worship, police stations and similar community locations.
The first Brandix Model Village programme benefitted residents of Polonnaruwa.
In Nivithigala, the project assisted the Thuthipitiya Viduhala; Parawaththa Vidyalaya; Watapotha Maha Vidyalaya;Sumana Kanitu Viduhala; Sumana Maha Vidyalaya;Sri Sudarshana Daham Vidyalaya – Watapotha; Sri Sucharitha Daham Vidyalaya – Kiribathgala and the Wathupitiya Hospital. In all, Brandix donated 13 toilets, five water supply facilities including tube wells and repaired a water tank.
“This approach of assisting public institutions and communal locations brings communities together and builds a sense of ownership that has lasting beneficial impacts,” Anusha Alles, Head of CSR of the Brandix Group said. “Projects of this nature enable our factories to play a role in the community, and become important contributors to the wellbeing of the people in their neighbourhoods.”
Brandix factories, usually one of the biggest employers in each community, become an intrinsic part of the social fabric of the village through their role as benefactors under this programme. The Group plans to extend these projects to an area within a 10 kilometre radius of its factories in the project’s second phase.
The Brandix Group’s principal CSR efforts are driven by the central corporate theme of ‘Water’ and are planned and executed by the ‘Bindu’ Foundation established by the Group for the purpose. These efforts represent a long term commitment to increasing the availability of water and the provision of safe drinking water to those most in need.