Serendib Educational Foundation holds Annual Interviews and Awards Day
Serendib Educational Foundation, one of the few scholarship funds that has an endowment fund under its jurisdiction, carried out many activities during the year 2016 and the climax of the 25-year celebrations was the Serendib Educational Foundation Annual Interviews and Awards Day held on August 14, 2016 at the MICH Auditorium, Colombo 6.
Dignitaries from the business, legal, academic and financial sectors graced the occasion. Special presentations were made by attorney-atlaw and guest of honour L. Usuf, Zahira College Board of Governors Chairman Fouzul Hameed was the keynote speaker and the chief guest was Faiz Mustapha.
Serendib Educational Foundation is incorporated under the Parliament Act No. 54 of 2009. Since its inception, it has been providing students from economically backward sections of the community easy access to higher education.
The event commenced with the interviews of potential scholarship recipients from many parts of the island. These students had excelled at the GCE O Levels and A Levels but due to poverty and financial issues they were unable to proceed with further studies. However, Serendib Educational Foundation stepped in to give these deserving students the much-needed financial support through a scholarship programme, which would cover their entire higher education. This laudable venture by Serendib Educational Foundation gives around 150 scholarships annually, each scholarship averaging around Rs.90,000 per student.
Serendib Educational Foundation is focused on offering monthly assistance to talented students, projectbased support to educational institutions and any other activity that facilitates education.
The audience numbering around 200 were invited to contribute towards various endowment funds. The funds included the Collective fund – an individual can invest Rs.10,000 or multiples thereof to enrich the endowment pool.
The Serendib Educational Foundation’s endowment fund is a dedicated and permanent source of funding that enables the foundation to provide scholarships to deserving students throughout Sri Lanka. As the endowment fund provides an enduring source for scholarship distribution, it is imperative that it is sustained and therefore, Serendib Educational Foundation has different ways the donors can contribute.
The Single Endowment Fund invests Rs.375,000. The income derived from both the schemes meets monthly payments of Rs.2500 for students.
There are four easy steps to contribute: 1. Make an intention to create a single endowment scheme. 2. Commit an amount that is best suited to your financial situation. 3. Use the endowment to honour or as a memorial to loved ones like your parents. 4. One off cash donation or make a pledge to donate a fixed sum over a period. Serendib Educational Foundation invites all Sri Lankans to join them ‘to light a candle to illuminate the path of the future’.
Since 1991, Serendib Educational Foundation has awarded more than 2800 scholarships to deserving students. The organisation, in accordance with Nelson Mandela’s pronouncement ‘Education is a powerful weapon which you can use to change the world’ has provided financial grants to enable students to achieve their goals.
Munchee, the flagship brand of Ceylon Biscuits Limited, recently supported the ‘Munchee Samaga Sahadarathwaye Kreeda Ulela’ (Unity Sports Festival) in Badulla.
The event was launched to foster unity, harmony and respect amongst children and local community members of all backgrounds, throughout the district. The festival was hosted by Dilan Perera Foundation in Hali Ela and was attended by a total of 3000 members of the local community. The event lasted over five days and was facilitated by a dynamic network of local schools and volunteers, who came together to ensure its success.
The Unity Sports Festival was part of the country’s ongoing efforts to bring all communities and ethnic groups in the area together through the use of sports. The event featured an interschool sports meet, several athletics, cricket and soccer matches and games as well as a series of workshops that promoted children and members of the local community, to work together with a renewed sense of camaraderie.
All participants were divided into four houses, named after the great rivers of Sri Lanka – Kelani, Mahaweli, Walawe and Nilwale – and they all had to work closely with one another and strengthen their overall communication skills and ability to play as a team.
Commenting on the event, Highways State Minister and Dilan Perera Foundation Chairman Dilan Perera stated, “I am extremely pleased that Munchee, an iconic Sri Lankan brand, has once again stepped forward to support a national cause of significant importance. The ‘Munchee Samaga Sahadarathwaye Kreeda Ulela’ is dedicated to encouraging unity, harmony and increased integration in the district of Badulla, an area that is home to an array of multi-ethnic families.
We are proud to have had 3000 school children and their parents from the local community, participating in this event, which turned out to be an immense success. We are grateful for Munchee’s support and investment in the festival, which we hope to develop into a sustainable long-term initiative that can be implemented across the country.”
Also commenting on the festival, Ceylon Biscuits Group General Manager Marketing Theja Peiris said, “Munchee, as the flagship brand of Ceylon Biscuits Limited, is proud to have been part of this important event, which focused on uniting children and families of all ethnicities and backgrounds through the use of competitive sports. We would like to thank the state minister for inviting us to partner with this event and we look forward to supporting its implementation in the future.
Given the success of this year’s programme in Badulla, we believe that it can be extended to other parts of the country as well. We feel that the festival effectively fosters national unity amongst the youth of Sri Lanka, which is the need of the hour, and will prove essential to building a peaceful and prosperous Sri Lanka.”
Munchee, the number one biscuit brand in Sri Lanka, offers consumers a diverse range of tasty sweet and savoury biscuits for every occasion. All Munchee biscuits are manufactured using state-of-theart processes and adhere to the stringent quality standards. With nearly 50 years of experience, Ceylon Biscuits has positioned itself as a leading biscuit, chocolate and confectionary manufacturer and marketer that has a strong local presence and growing global footprint.