NDB Employee Volunteerism improves Bulugahatenna Vidyalaya’s infrastructure

Education is vital for rural transformation, and economic and ecological progress of communities. However, many schools in rural areas cannot function properly due to poor infrastructure.

School infrastructure includes classrooms as well as sanitation facilities. Improving school infrastructure is known to improve school attendance, and completion of education, teacher motivation and student performance.

Bulugahatenna Maha Vidyalaya is located on a slope of a rocky mountain in a remote village in Dela, Panagama in the Ratnapura district. The school did not have a proper drinking water system. The buildings were old and dilapidated, and the toilets old and in dire need of repairs

An NDB team headed by Nirmala Rayen – Vice President Group Risk Management assisted in improving the infrastructure of this school, including the construction of a formal drinking water supply scheme and the renovation of the existing toilets and classrooms. Around 30 NDB volunteers from the Risk and Compliance Departments joined in making this project a reality.

NDB commenced the ‘Employee Volunteerism’ CSR Initiative in 2009. As a responsible corporate citizen, NDB believes that ‘Community Involvement’ goes beyond core business activities and with an objective of creating value through employee participation, the bank encourages its employees to volunteer their time and effort to give back to the community.

Employee volunteering programmes can allow workers to feel that the work they do is not only contributing to the overall success of the company, but that it is also helping out a charitable cause that is important to them. Whilst, inculcating responsibility towards the community and environment in all NDB employees, this initiative also motivates them to venture out on their own and implement their own projects.