Watawala Plantations and other Sunshine Holdings Group companies enrich lives through community initiatives
Programmes in the areas of health, youth & female empowerment and the environment, gather further momentum during the past financial year
29th August 2016: Watawala Plantations PLC and the other companies of the Sunshine Holdings Group have enriched the lives of many Sri Lankans during the past financial year, by continuing long-standing community initiatives in the areas of health, youth and women empowerment, assisting the differently abled, improving infrastructure and the sustainability of the environment.
In the sphere of health, Watawala Plantations, the plantation arm of the diversified Sunshine Holdings conglomerate, enabled individuals to regain their eyesight by sponsoring cataract surgeries. It also organized an eye camp. Other companies of the Sunshine Holdings Group too have been actively involved in preventing avoidable blindness in the past.
Watawala Plantations also made considerable progress with regard to female empowerment by supporting a number of programmes, especially for the benefit of its 5,225 female employees. These female employees are entitled to a range of benefits – including pre and post natal care for them and their children, provision of day care and Early Childhood Development (ECD) facilities, awareness programmes on social issues and self-employment and capacity building initiatives. A workshop was also held at the company’s Wigton Estate, with the help of Sewa Lanka Foundation, on fostering family unity.
The sustainability agenda of Watawala Plantations too was strengthened during the year – with all its 16 estates obtaining Rainforest Alliance (RA) certification during the period – confirming the company’s commitment to Triple Bottom Line (Planet, People and Profit) aspects. Watawala Plantations also took a number of new measures to preserve the environment and wildlife within its estates.
Besides these programmes, with the assistance of other parties, Watawala Plantations constructed a new road benefiting the families living at its Nakiyadeniya Estate and the Mamanadola and Yatalamaththa villages.
A psychological wellbeing initiative was also conducted for the benefit of elders living in the Tangakelle Estate of Watawala Plantations while a sports meet was organized for the differently abled children living at the company’s Waltrim Estate.
“Being especially the largest employer in the Sunshine Holdings Group, Watawala Plantations is well-positioned to make a positive impact through its community initiatives and drive the group’s community agenda,” Sunshine Holdings Group Managing Director (GMD) – Vish Govindasamy said. “Together with the involvement of its other business units, Sunshine Holdings strives to make lasting difference in key areas such as health, female and youth empowerment and the sustainability of the environment.”
The other companies of the diversified conglomerate (Sunshine Healthcare Lanka Ltd. (SHL), Healthguard Pharmacy Ltd., Watawala Tea Ceylon Ltd., Sunshine Packaging Lanka Ltd. and Sunshine Energy Ltd.) too made substantial contributions towards the Sunshine Group’s community initiatives.
As part of its ‘Seeni Maru’ initiative against diabetes, Sunshine Healthcare, together with the Colombo Municipal Council, conducted free diabetes screening for low-income individuals in the Stacepura area. In addition, Sunshine Healthcare also supported ‘Careerlead,’ a national level initiative to provide greater opportunities to students and entrepreneurs from outside the Western Province.
Complementing the efforts of Watawala Plantations in the sphere of youth empowerment, Watawala Tea Ceylon engaged students of the Academy of Design to develop a new packaging design solution for the company’s Zesta tea brand. This enabled the students to hone their creative and practical skills.
Besides community interventions, Sunshine Holdings Group is also engaged in renewable energy.
Sunshine Holdings PLC is a diversified holding company contributing to ‘nation building’ by creating value in vital sectors of the Sri Lankan economy – including healthcare, agribusiness, fast moving consumer goods and renewable energy. The group, which provides employment to approximately 12,000, generates over US$ 120 million in revenue.
