Ford announces 2014 Conservation and Environmental Grants recipient in Sri Lanka

Saturday, 1 November 2014 02:05 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Ford selects the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka as the 2014 Ford Conservation and Environmental Grants winner, marking three consecutive years of the program in Sri Lanka. The organisation will use a $ 20,000 grant to promote peace and reconciliation through nature conservation and environmental awareness The Grants program demonstrates Ford’s deep commitment to contributing to Sri Lankan communities, as part of its broader conservation and CSR programs across Asia Pacific.

Matt Moran, Communications Manager, Malaysia and Asia Pacific Emerging Markets, Ford Motor Company (right), and Suminda De Silva, CEO, Future Automobiles (left) present a check for $ 20,000 to Professor Sarath Kotagama, founder of the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL). FOGSL was selected as winner of the 2014 Ford Conservation and Environmental Grants Program in Sri Lanka, and will use the grant to promote peace and reconciliation through nature conservation and environmental awareness Ford Motor Company, together with its local partner Future Automobiles, today awarded a $ 20,000 (approximately Rs. 2,607,000) grant to the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL), the 2014 Ford Conservation and Environmental Grants Program recipient in Sri Lanka. The environmental grant will allow FOGSL to facilitate the promotion of the study of birds, or ornithology, and environmental conservation and social interactions in Sri Lanka. The winning project from FOGSL is entitled ‘Exemplary Citizens through Conservation – Creating Ambassadors of Peace and Reconciliation’. The program will link communities and students to achieve reconciliation through nature studies, using the study of birds as a focal point. It is also an extension of the FOGSL’s previous programs, implemented in the south and north of Sri Lanka, aimed at lessening tensions that prevailed in the country for more than 30 years. “The Field Ornithology Group’s proposal was unique – and demonstrated a genuine commitment to environmental conservation while helping to acquaint or reacquaint people in local communities with the natural beauty of their own country and each other,” said David Westerman, Managing Director, Asia Pacific Emerging Markets, Ford Motor Company. The project’s objective is to create ‘exemplary citizens’ to act as environmental ambassadors, promoting conservation awareness and acting as mediators for peace and reconciliation. The program will be conducted through a series of workshops at the Sinharaja World Heritage Site. “We are extremely proud to be this year’s grant recipient and grateful to Ford for their support in bringing this project to life,” said Professor Sarath Kotagama, founder of FOGSL. “This funding will allow us to build on our past work and use all of our knowledge and experience to contribute to a better future for our country and its people.”