Senehe Siyapatha: relief for flood affected

by Husna Inayathullah

The Senehe Siyapatha is a disaster relief fund created by Lake House together with Dialog, SLRC and SLBC in colloboration with Ministry of Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media. The Senehe Siyapatha initiative continued its second phase of relief efforts at the Owitigama Primary School and Owitigama Maha Vidyalaya, Pugoda recently with the distribution of shoes and socks to schoolchildren who were severely affected by the recent floods.

Thousands of affected children from 33 schools in the Colombo and Gampaha districts received footwear worth over Rs. 8 million from the Senehe Siyapatha initiative. Officials from Lake House, Dialog Axiata PLC, Disaster Management Centre, Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation and Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation participated. Children received shoes under the auspices of Media Minister Gayantha Karunathilaka and Deputy Media Minister Karunaratna Paranawithana.

The Senehe Siyapatha initiative contributed Rs. 50 million towards flood relief and works closely with the Disaster Management Centre to channel funds to provide assistance to those affected, with a special focus on children. Dialog customers were invited to donate Rs.50 towards flood relief efforts, and Dialog tripled the donation by adding Rs.100 thereby donating Rs.150, towards the customers' bills collecting Rs. 50 million within a week. Customers donated Rs. 14.9 million to the initiative, while Dialog Axiata added Rs. 35.9 million.

Under the first phase, the Senehe Siyapatha initiative donated 50 water pumps worth Rs. 1.6 million to the Disaster Management Centre to aid immediate relief efforts. The third stage will focus on rehabilitating upto 15 schools which were damaged.

Discussions are also underway to provide support to small and medium scale entrepreneurs who were affected during this period, as part of a series of focused interventions.