NDB helps Vavuniya students
Vavuniya was amidst t he many cities to have been a victim of lesion in the once war torn Northern Sri Lanka. With the end of the thirty year old battle, residents of the area who found shelter in camps during the height of the conflict are gradually returning to their shattered homes, schools and livelihoods with the hope to start afresh. Amongst them are thousands of children attempting to resume their education and trying to prepare themselves for O/L and A/L examinations amid their poverty stricken lifestyles. Majority of these children struggle to study in temporary shelters or damaged houses with no access to electricity, using candles or kerosene lamps. In many instances the families are found to be so deprived that they cannot even afford the lamps and candles for their children. Despite all this the students remain determined and education remains a high priority.
NDB, having sensed the intricacies faced by students and being aware of the health and safety hazards caused by the use of poor quality lighting, initiated a timely solution through a special project. The project which was spearheaded by staff members of NDB Vavuniya branch saw the distribution of over 1500 solar powered LED study lamps to students of 25 identified schools situated in the region.
In contrast to the kerosene lamps and candles that provide scarce lighting, the solar-powered LED study lamps offer uniformly bright lighting which is ideal for studying. The Solar-powered LED lamps selected for the project were ideal to meet the requirement of the these rural homes due to the lamps’ high efficiency of performance, far superior lighting quality in comparison to kerosene lamps and the minimum risk of danger of burns or environmentally detrimental emissions.
The project which was a great success, reiterates NDB’s dedication towards making meaningful benefactions to the society through its Strategic Corporate Responsibility initiatives that uplift and empower the future generation of Sri Lanka. NDB also promotes employee volunteerism with a view of making ‘Responsible Behaviour’ an integral part of the Bank. The solar lamps project implemented by NDB Vavuniya branch depicts the dedication and passion of NDB’s employees who are willing to walk that extra mile to offer a positive benefit towards the society and contribute to the Bank’s broader objective of being a responsible corporate citizen.
NDB’s wider approach to sustainability is categorised under three pillars of strategic, philanthropic and operational initiatives; out of them the Strategic initiatives are built around entrepreneurship and education. NDB continues its efforts to empower the youth of the nation by its multiple projects that place emphasis on issues that are critical for sustainable economic growth and the future success of the nation as a whole.