Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Friday, 13 September 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Hemas Holdings opened its 54th and 55th preschool in the rural areas of Walagambapura and Ambagahawella, Ampara as it continues to invest in early childhood development in Sri Lanka.
“Early childhood care is the best investment a country can make to its human capital. Understanding this need, we launched ‘Piyawara’ initiative focusing on a holistic approach to Early Childhood Care and Development,” says Hemas Outreach Foundation Executive Director and Hemas Holdings General Manager – Corporate Communications and Sustainability Shiromi Masakorala.
Initiated in 2002, the Piyawara program was launched in partnership with the Children’s Secretariat of the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs.
The program aims to enrich the lives of underprivileged children of Sri Lanka by focusing on key aspects within the framework of ECCD.
“Through our Piyawara initiative we take a holistic approach to early childhood care and development and we ensure that the preschools we build are maintained and sustained through annual teacher training and parental awareness programs.
“As the Government of Sri Lanka commits to improve children’s learning in their formative years, we at Hemas continue making investments into ECCD and assist the Government of Sri Lanka address a national need,” said Shiromi Masakorala.
The two schools in Ampara were donated by Reiner Meutsch Stiftung FLY & HELP.
At present Piyawara has 55 preschools across the country with over 150 teachers and over 3,500 children attending them daily. 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.
