Page 117 - Hemas_Piyawara_Book

CHAPTER 15

A ‘Big Heart’ beats to educate at-risk older children

hile Piyawara was giving shelter to little ones across Sri Lanka like a spreading According to the Department of Probation and Childcare Services, the contributory
Wbanyan tree, on another front it was celebration time for the Hemas Group. factors were poverty, lack of parental care, parent migration and lack of education or
awareness of the importance of education on the part of parents.
Popular and trusted brand ‘Baby Cheramy’ with its wide range of products for mothers
and children, was celebrating its golden anniversary in 2012 and the Hemas Outreach These vulnerable children were either orphans or with one parent dead or ill or living
Foundation facilitated a major project, getting the Department of Probation and in poverty.
Childcare Services of the Ministry of Child Development and Women’s Affairs on
board. The Big Heart Project made ready to fund the first 5 years of formal education
of these at-risk or disadvantaged children while providing a strong bulwark of
th
The special project, rather than a tamasha at this 50 milestone of the company’s support for their underprivileged parents to ensure that the children remained
flagship, encompassed all those who had been loyal to the Baby Cheramy brand – at home and were not institutionalized due to financial constraints.
the children who were pampered with soap, cream, talc, cologne and soft-on-the-skin
diapers, by their mothers. As the project took shape under the ‘Nena Diriya’ programme of the Department of
Probation and Childcare Services, the then Marketing Manager of the Baby Cheramy
Softly and tenderly, the ‘Big Heart Project’ took shape and began beating to fill a long- brand, Derrick Antony told a media briefing: “With a rich heritage of over 50 years of
felt need – to fund the education of children who had fallen through the system due serving the nation, Baby Cheramy aspires to continue its quest of enriching the lives of
to abject poverty. mothers and babies through the Big Heart Project.”

Very young children were Piyawara’s passion but in this one-off but crucial initiative, He added: “We know that the greatest investment parents make in a child’s life is on
the focus of the Hemas Outreach Foundation turned on the next stage of childhood – his/her education. They will commit to it, sacrificing their own comforts. We believe
from around 5 to 10 years of age. it is our responsibility as a brand that has been with the country for so many years, to
support the aspirations of these parents and provide a better future for their children,
Statistics indicated that nearly 8% of children in the age-group 5 to 14 years did not ensuring they remain in the care of their parents during the important early years of
have access to continuous education, even though compulsory education regulations their lives.”
had been in place since 1998.

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