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| Sunday, 23 March 2003 |
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Singer donates Rs. 22m for housing program Singer Sri Lanka donated Rs. 2.2 million for constructing 22 houses in the districts of Anuradhapura and Nuwara Eliya for the 10,000 housing programme under the Ministry of Housing and Plantation Infrastructure and Ministry for Housing Development. The project encompasses 22 families selected from the poorest of the poor, those unable to meet even the basic loan requirements. The two cluster housing schemes will be called 'Singer Shakthi Gama'. Singer's involvement in the project revolves on the strong social responsibility culture that permeates the entire company, having been a silent sponsor and provider to the less fortunate of the land for many decades. For example, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Singer Worldwide last year, Singer Sri Lanka presented 150 artificial limbs to 150 disabled soldiers. "Singer is a company that has always been in the forefront of cricket and entertainment but very few know of our work behind the scenes with the community. With shelter being a priority need for mankind, we realised that this housing programme would be the ideal way for us to contribute towards the betterment of society," said Hemaka Amarasuriya, Chairman of Singer Sri Lanka on handing over the cheque to Minister of Housing Development, P. Harrison at a ceremony held at Sethsiripaya. "We chose the number 22 because we have 22 sales territories in Sri Lanka and, even though the Ministry's housing project is aimed at capacity building through self-development, there are some families that are unable to meet even the smallest of loans, finding it difficult to maintain their daily existence. It is these families that we will assist." He also mentioned that it has been a policy of the company to request each branch to undertake a social project within their community, an initiative that ensures Singer's commitment to society and the nation. Minister of Housing Development, P. Harrison, on accepting the cheque praised Singer for setting an example for other private sector and multi-national organisations in Sri Lanka. "Singer is the first such company to help in this national project and I do hope others will follow suit," he said. "Housing and shelter is a huge national problem and cannot be solved by the State alone. It is also a problem that will never end. As the population increases, so will the need for shelter. We need the help of the private sector to combat this problem and I do hope this will pave the way for other companies to come forward to assist in this national need." |
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