Piyawara added its 46^th and 47^th Pre-School to the national network with the opening of two Piyawara Pre-Schools in Rambewa, Anuradhapura District and Nerriyakulam, Vavuniya District. Both schools were constructed by the Sri Lanka Army.

Initiated in 2002, the Piyawara programme was launched in partnership with the Children’s Secretariat of the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs. The programme aims to enrich the lives of underprivileged children of Sri Lanka by focusing on key aspects within the framework of ECCD.

“We applaud the commitment made recently by the Government of Sri Lanka to improve children’s learning in their early years. As a private sector entity Hemas Holdings have always believed that early childhood education is the best investment a country can make to its human capital. Understanding this need, we launched our ‘Piyawara’ initiative focusing on a holistic approach to Early Childhood Care and Development,” says Ms. Shiromi Masakorala, Executive Director of Hemas Outreach Foundation and General Manager – Corporate Communications and Sustainability of Hemas Holdings.

At present the 47 pre-schools across the country has over 115 teachers and over 3500 children attending them daily.

“We will continue making investments into ECCD and continue assisting the Government of Sri Lanka address a national need,” she added.

Piyawara is managed by the Hemas Outreach Foundation (www.hemasoutreach.com) and stands today as a successful initiative, a sustainable and ongoing project by Hemas and the Children’s Secretariat, demonstrating the success of government - private sector partnerships in addressing national issues and creating strong communities.