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Etisalat gives back to rural community

Etisalat gives back to the Gabbela Maha Vidyalaya in the village of Endana, a rural community of primarily plantation workers. The community of Endana caught Etisalat’s attention following the erection of an Etisalat Telecommunication tower in the area.

Etisalat CEO, Dumindra Ratnayaka said, As we look to expand the coverage of our network in our quest to become Sri Lanka’s number one mobile telecommunications operator we aren’t forgetting that we as one of Sri Lanka’s largest corporate entities have a social obligation to help uplift struggling communities.

So we want to give back to some of the rural communities that could use our contribution, and we chose to give through their school because its through education that we can empower citizens to uplift themselves in the future.This initiative by Etisalat was planned in concurrence with the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Gabbela Maha Vidyalaya.

The move saw 350 school bags being gifted to the students, the donation of a new printer and a selection of books being added to the school library, which is open to students and parents alike.

Endana, located south east of Watapola in the Sabaragamuwa province, became one of the southern locations to fall under Etisalat’s expansion and see the establishment of a telecommunications tower in February of this year.

Come year end the community of Endana is boasting one of the highest concentrations of Etisalat subscribers and users amongst the rural locations.

“As mobile technology evolves and the role it plays in the lives of people becomes increasingly vital, the demands of the market increases. Rural communities such as Endana are developing, as they do they look to the services that Telcos can provide to empower them,” Ratnayaka said. He said,

“Providing mobile connectivity to Endana was only the first step, we then provided the community access to our industry leading mobile broadband services. Less than a month in and we have already seen substantial subscription numbers. Endana has been a testament to the growing potential in rural communities and their demand for cutting edge mobile connectivity.”

Spa Aura opens

Sanjeevi Jayasuriya

Going beyond the concept of beautycare to include wellness in it comprehensive service range, the Spa Aura the latest addition to the Chandani Bandara salon chain was launched recently at Nugegoda.

The Spa Aura will provide holistic treatment for relaxed and stress-free mind and body.

The varieties of services from the Spa include massages for body, face and foot, milk bath, sauna acupuncture and Ayurveda body treatment.

“The Spa Aura was launched to cater to the growing demand for such services from our longstanding clients. They have requested for this kind of facility for some time as they were satisfied with our range of beautycare treatment,” 4Ever Natural Skin Products Company Chairperson and Managing Director Beautician Chandani Bandara told Daily News Business.

“The lifestyles of the modern day Sri Lankans have changed and they live in a stressful environment. Therefore, it is important to engage in de-stress activities and the Spa Aura provides ideal solutions for total relaxation,” she said.

“We have employed a well trained staff to attend to the customized needs and the services are reasonably priced to cater to all strata of society.

The approach to the service is total satisfaction and hence, this will be a special feature in the chain of salons that are very popular among women of all ages,” she said.

The Spa serves exclusively women and it is operating on all seven days except Poya days.

 

Hainan Lanka, ZOA partnership for bicycle industry

Ramani Kangaraarachchi

A leading bicycle manufacturer Hainan Lanka signed a MOU with ZOA Refugee Care Netherlands recently to manufacture bicycles as a cottage industry.

This will be a sustainable livelihood project for the grass roots level people in the North and East.

Seva Lanka and UNHCR work as facilitators to this project worth Rs 150 million, Managing Director Hainan Lanka Amal Suriyage said.

He said 300 to 500 units will be assembled in these areas consisting four to five people in each group. Manufacturing of various parts of the bicycle will be sub contracted to them as self-employment and finally 5,000 bicycles will be assembled in the factory in Vavuniya.

It is significant that 50 percent of these people are female and the balance consists of disabled and displaced people.

Suriyage said a permanent factory will be constructed in Vavuniya.