ComBank empowers female farmers in Wellawaya with Financial Literacy seminar

(Top, from left): Commercial Bank Development Credit Department Executive Officer Deshapriya Batagoda, Wellawaya Branch Manager Sanath Wasanthalal, Central Bank Senior Assistant Director Rohitha Abeykoon, Vidatha Resource Centre Moneragala Head Indika Fonseka and Uwa Wellassa Women’s Society President K.P. Somalatha at the seminar

The latest Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship Development Programme of the Commercial Bank of Ceylon focused on empowering women in Handapanagala, Wellawaya, when the bank in collaboration with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka conducted a seminar for 265 members of the Uva Wellassa Women’s Society. 

The participants were mainly cultivators of groundnuts, who additionally grow organic vegetables. Beyond enhancing the financial literacy levels of the members of this Society, the bank’s objective in conducting this program was to foster financial inclusivity in this unbanked and under-banked segment. 

The resource person for the program was Central Bank of Sri Lanka Senior Assistant Director Rohitha Abeykoon, who is an experienced speaker on financial literacy and business development.

The program was attended by Commercial Bank Wellawaya branch Manager Sanath Wasanthalal and officials from the Development Credit Department of the bank. 

Indika Fonseka, Advisor to the Uva Wellassa Women’s Society and the Head of Vidatha Resource Centre Moneragala K.P. Somalatha, the Chairperson and other officials of the Society were also present. 

Commercial Bank has organised eight similar programs in 2019 alone, benefitting 1,056 micro-entrepreneurs. 

Formed in 2010 to empower rural women, the Uva Wellassa Women’s Society supports female farmers by facilitating cultivation and purchasing the harvest of its members. This protects the farmers of the Society from exploitation and enables them to sell their produce at competitive prices. 

Commercial Bank has been conducting awareness programs for micro-entrepreneurs in different sectors of business in many areas of the country for the past seven years, and has helped more than 9,000 entrepreneurs to date through this series.

These programs are supported by the bank’s 17 Agriculture and Micro Finance Units which play a key role in helping the bank to identify specific needs of entrepreneurs who require assistance to develop either their agriculture activities or micro businesses. These units are dedicated to promote agriculture lending and micro finance.

Commercial Bank’s Agriculture and Micro Finance Units (AMFU) are located in Ratnapura, Narammala, Kandy, Anuradhapura, Kilinochchi, Bandarawela, Wellawaya, Hingurakgoda, Galewela, Achchuveli, Vavuniya, Kattankudy, Tissamaharama, Neluwa, Mathugama, Pottuvil and Akkaraipattu.