Page 57 - Hemas_Piyawara_Book

CHAPTER 08

A bombshell funding target!

meeting in the Boardroom of Hemas House in Colombo in 2005 and all eyes “We grappled with what we could and should do. We were already working
A turned towards him in silent disbelief. The then Chairperson of the Hemas Group’s with children through Piyawara and there were now many who had lost their
Leisure Sector, Abbas Esufally, had just dropped a bombshell. parents in this calamity,” says Abbas. To achieve the impossible task of collecting
Rs. 120m, his suggestion was to reach out to their partner tour operators.
The meeting was to discuss funding for the tsunami-destroyed preschools which were
to be constructed from scratch under the Piyawara project. When the tsunami hit several countries in the east which were also popular tourist
destinations, the LTU Touristik Agency (now known as DER Touristik) headed
While everyone else was mumbling about Rs. 25, 30, 50 million or slightly more, Abbas by Rainer Hoffmann, had taken the initiative to collect funds to help out. It was
had thrown up the astounding suggestion – “Let’s give Rs. 120 million. Let’s reach for contemplating how to distribute the monies among the tsunami-affected countries,
the stars.” when Abbas got in touch with Hoffmann and he and his team flew into tsunami-

It was a colossal target in 2005! ravaged Sri Lanka, bringing with them as an initial donation Euro 310,000.

Seventeen years later, looking back at his suggestion considered outrageous and The Hemas Group was pleasantly surprised when Hoffmann said: “Take all, not just a
unattainable at the time, Abbas smilingly says that he urged his team: “We can do it.” good chunk.”

His confidence about the Hemas Group’s ability even to dream of such a large volume The Chairman of LTU Airlines, Jürgen Marbach who was President of DRV (the German
of funding for a national cause, rose from his faith in the national and international Tourist Association) also flew down with his team and aid. The others who extended a
links that it had forged through its ethical and accountable business dealings. helping hand were the German logistics company, Hellmaan and countries such as the
United Kingdom and Switzerland.
Being closely associated with the tourism sector, he was acutely aware of the impact
on the tourists who had got “caught” in the tsunami in Sri Lanka. His staff was Shocking scenes of destruction, meanwhile, greeted the visitors from overseas as Abbas
managing a large group which had come on a German charter. They had lost all their and the Executive Director of the Hemas Tsunami Foundation, Shiromi Masakorala,
documents and other possessions and were being sheltered in a makeshift hotel lobby accompanied them through the tsunami-hit areas. Hoffmann was no stranger to
and ballroom. Tour operators could not deal with the hundreds of Germans who had Sri Lanka. He had been a frequent visitor since 1973, falling in love with this paradise
been taken to temporary camps in places of worship. This was while there was an island. Now he saw a need brought about by a “horrifying catastrophe”.
urgent need to identify affected local communities and help them.

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