Enterprises of the conglomerate continue community programmes in health and education   

Through the continuation of long-term community initiatives aligned with national objectives, particularly in the areas of health and education, companies of the Sunshine Holdings group made a lasting positive impact on the lives of many individuals in the past financial year.

The conglomerate’s healthcare arm, Sunshine Healthcare, aligning with the ‘Vision 2020 Sri Lanka national programme for the prevention of avoidable blindness,’ enabled 250 individuals to improve their eyesight by sponsoring cataract surgeries. In the past four years, Sunshine Healthcare has sponsored 1,085 cataract surgeries in total.

Contributing further towards national objectives, Sunshine Healthcare donated ‘Mospel’ Mosquito Repellent to support the government’s dengue preventive effort.

Sunshine Healthcare also continued its mission of providing quality medicinal supplies and nutritional and medical supplements for those unable to afford them, by donating nutritional supplements intended for 5,500 people to the Cancer Hospital, elders’ homes, children’s homes, up-country estates and a number of base hospitals. In addition, the company also supported 3,500 individuals through health camps conducted in areas particularly in which health standards were lacking.

Also recognising the importance of the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the estate sector, Sunshine Holdings’ plantation sector subsidiary, Watawala Plantations, further strengthened its efforts to enhance the living conditions of its associates and the community residing in estates managed by the company. Watawala Plantations improved housing facilities and other amenities in estates, assisted physically-challenged individuals residing in estates and also focused substantially on supporting the educational aspirations of children of the company’s associates.

Buoyed by the success of its Vocational Training Centre for the physically challenged in the Kenilworth Estate established in 1998, which won an Asian CSR Leadership award and was recognized among the country’s best CSR projects, another Vocational Training Centre was launched in Lindula for the benefit of 86 adults and children by Watawala Plantations in March 2015. Continuous efforts by Watawala Plantations in its estates have yielded substantial improvements in healthcare indicators (institutional births, maternal deaths, malnutrition rate) as well as educational indicators (primary school attendance, etc.) over the years among members of its estate community.

The Sunshine Holdings group and group companies also contributed to many other initiatives particularly in healthcare and education. Sunshine Holdings donated many equipment, including an Electrocardiograph to the Lindula Hospital while Watawala Tea, another group company, continued a unique initiative to celebrate and foster student/teacher relations – ‘Watawala Guru Upahara’.

“To make a lasting impact through its community endeavours, Sunshine Holdings has continuously focused on long-term initiatives aligned with national objectives, as the positive synergy from the collective efforts of all those supporting these programmes can lead to better and more sustainable results,” Sunshine Holdings PLC Group Managing Director, Vish Govindasamy said. “Leveraging on our strengths, we hope to continue to make a difference in the lives of especially those who are most in need.”

Companies of the group envisage further strengthening existing programmes, particularly with regard to health and living standards of their associates and for the community residing in estates managed by Watawala Plantations. In collaboration with World Vision Lanka, a housing project benefiting 150 associates who do not have accommodation at present, is expected to be launched soon in Lippakelle and Ouvahkelle estates of Lindula Region. Another project to provide improved sanitation facilities in partnership with Berendina, which would benefit an estimated 600 individuals in estates in Lindula, will also be launched in the near future.

Sunshine Holdings PLC is a diversified holding company contributing to ‘nation building’ by creating value in vital sectors of the Sri Lankan economy – including healthcare, agribusiness, fast moving consumer goods and renewable energy. The group, which provides employment to nearly 12,000, generates over US$ 120 million in revenue. Sunshine Holdings is consistently ranked among the LMD Top 50 companies in Sri Lanka and is also one of the country’s largest tax payers – contributing over Rs. 500 million to the state’s coffers annually.