Today, over 80% of Sri Lanka’s population reside in rural areas that offer little support for big dreams and ambitions. In episode 4 of Strong Foundations, Sadé Greenwood travels to the historic city of Dambulla where the Tokyo Cement Group, together with the Foundation of Goodness is helping the youth and children of local villages realise their true potential. Here’s how they’re doing it.
The day starts early at Shamalee Elpitiya’s residence in Haputale. Even in her early 50s’, she wakes up at 4 am. She cooks the morning meal for her 20 dogs and nine cats and makes breakfast for her son and her mother, of which she has none. Instead, she sips a warm cup of tea. “This,” she said, “will get ...
If you Google the phrases ‘student unions’ and ‘ragging’ together, the results are like watching a tennis match; blame is flung back and forth, from one side of the court to the other. Topping the search results is a news piece about a student at the University of Peradeniya having died by suicide in September, allegedly after being subjected to ...
Amidst the pandemic and economic crisis that followed, many businesses had to re-strategise the way they operated. The logistics sector especially required extensive transformation to cater to customers’ changing needs. In Sri Lanka, delivery services like PickMe rose to the challenge and introduced innovative digital solutions to the market. Here’s how their latest feature, PickMe Pass, is changing the game. ...
Many people picked up new hobbies to keep themselves occupied during the COVID lockdowns that began in 2020 — for Megali Nanayakkara (36), that hobby was sketching. “I watched a lot of tutorials on ink and watercolour. I find sketching quite meditative — it’s like a nice timeout for the mind, to get lost in the lines and colour,” she ...
On FIFA’s ranking of a total of 211 national men’s football teams, the Sri Lankan team ranks 207th. In a country where football is arguably the second most popular sport, after cricket, and is played in schools and on streets islandwide, why isn’t our national team more successful? According to former Sri Lankan football captain and current under-23 squad head ...
Formal education is a basic human right – one that has seen a turbulent history over the past two years in Sri Lanka. So, how can we ensure our younger generation is well-equipped to chart their future careers? Could digitalisation be the future of education?
William (69) hails from Kandy, but currently lives in Boralesgamuwa in a rented house. A father of two, he has been the sole provider for his family until now. “My daughter is a university student,” he said. “She recently joined a company to work part-time to support the family. With the increasing expenses and electricity bills, surviving on the income ...
On 5 September 2022, Samith Mapalagama (46), the director of a sanitary ware company, was scrolling through his Facebook feed, when a message popped up. The sender was a local representative of a university based in the US. His message read: “We offer honorary doctorate degrees. If you are a professional you can get the degree. Next graduation on November ...
Should diabetes always spell the end for living a normal, happy life? Here is Sandun Viswajith sharing his first near-death experience with the disease, the unexpected challenges it created for him, and the slow path he took to return to his regular life again.
As you pass by the National Eye Hospital, Colombo, towards Deans Road, you come across a number of roadside florists. Among those many shops is ‘Orel Flora’ run by Damitha Kumarasinghe (64) and Nihal Handagama (67). “We’ve been married for 28 years now,” Nihal said. “We have been in the flower business for a good 15 years now. Starting this ...
At least 5.7 million people in Sri Lanka require immediate humanitarian assistance – International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) FB/IG: In the Needs Assessment report for October compiled by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) the current humanitarian crisis requires immediate interventions to address the fragility of existing systems, services and ...
Dr Hemantha Herath, Deputy Director-General of Health Services, said 7 million Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines have been removed as per the existing health guidelines and will be destroyed, having reached their expiry date on 31 October — thus concluding the Health Ministry’s vaccination drive. The doses are worth roughly USD 770 million, based on Pfizer Inc.’s price range. In Sri Lanka, ...
Despite #SriLanka having the potential to meet as much as 32% of its annual power demand with solar energy, only 0.01% of that potential was developed as of 2016. Projects like Solar Universe — an agrivoltaic solar power plant in Batticaloa — may help change that, as well as begin a trend of maximising land area to harvest both solar energy and agriculture. #lka
Sri Lanka will play Australia on Tuesday (25 October) in the second of their Super12 matches of the #T20WorldCup2022. Of the total 25 T20 matches played between the two teams since 2007, Sri Lanka has only won 10, with Australia winning the remaining 15. The first time the two teams played each other in a T20 format was during the ...
Sri Lanka will play Australia on Tuesday (25 October) in the second of their Super12 matches of the #T20WorldCup2022. Of the total 25 T20 matches played between the two teams since 2007, Sri Lanka has only won 10, with Australia winning the remaining 15. The first time the two teams played each other in a T20 format was during the ...
This #WorldFoodDay we’re featuring three #FoodHeroes in #SriLanka Nishanthi, Sriyani and Jayalath demonstrate that with a little support, better production, better nutrition, and a better environment are possible. They harnessed the knowledge and opportunities provided through programmes conducted by FAO, WFP and IFAD to build resilience. Together we can follow their example and ensure we leave no one behind.The post ...
This #WorldFoodDay we’re featuring three #FoodHeroes in #SriLanka Nishanthi, Sriyani and Jayalath demonstrate that with a little support, better production, better nutrition, and a better environment are possible. They harnessed the knowledge and opportunities provided through programmes conducted by FAO, WFP and IFAD to build resilience. Together we can follow their example and ensure we leave no one behind. The ...
By last June, the Sri Lankan poultry industry had produced 1,963 million eggs — a significant decrease compared to the 2,934 million eggs produced during the entirety of 2021. According to Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera, this does not bode well for the industry’s future, as the production of eggs and poultry could be “very problematic” in 2023, due to ...
By last June, the Sri Lankan poultry industry had produced 1,963 million eggs — a significant decrease compared to the 2,934 million eggs produced during the entirety of 2021. According to Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera, this does not bode well for the industry’s future, as the production of eggs and poultry could be “very problematic” in 2023, due to ...
