Elpitiya Plantations builds Elders' Home for retired workers

An Elders' Home to accommodate retirees of Dunsinane, Sheen, Fernlands, Meddecombra, New Peacock and Nayapane Estates has been built at Meddecombra Estate by Elpitiya Plantations PLC. It has been built at a cost of over Rs 25 million.

The Elders' Home is a project undertaken by Elpitiya Plantations with Fondation Abbe Pierre (a French donor agency) and facilitated by Programmes d'Aide et de Développement destinés aux Enfants du Monde (PADEM) of France.

The Elders' Home at Meddecombra Estate, which is nearing completion and to be formally opened next month, will house 40 occupants - 20 males and 20 females .

Constructed in a pleasant and eco-friendly environment to enable the elderly, retired workers to spend their 'sunset years' in a peaceful and healthy atmosphere, it will include recreation rooms with TVs, washrooms for the disabled with hot water and other amenities, gardens with walkways and ponds and a modern kitchen.

The residents of the elders' home will be provided meals, including nutrition supplements and medical facilities free, with funds from Elpitiya Plantations and contributions from well-wishers.

"At Elpitiya Plantations we take our obligations towards our workers seriously, even when they are no longer a part of the workforce," said Executive Director, Elpitiya Plantations, Tony Goonewardena.

"The home for the elderly and retired underscores our commitment to our workforce.

The elder's home initiative is part of our broader program to improve the living conditions of workers by upgrading the facilities of their present accommodation for which we will continue to invest substantially."

Previously, Elpitiya Plantations partnered the French Donor Agencies Fondation Abbe Pierre and Programmes d'Aide et de Développement destinés aux Enfants du Monde, France (PADEM) in a Rs. 21 million project to construct twenty model housing units for families of workers of its Meddecombra Estate whose residences were destroyed by a fire.

Elpitiya Plantations has facilitated the construction of over 850 housing units overall (768 single housing units and 88 upstairs housing units) on its plantations since takeover with the National Housing Development Authority and Plantation Human Development Trust (PHDT).