Page 67 - Hemas_Piyawara_Book

• The German Travel Association DRV to build 2 preschools in Galle 2 & Weligama
In a major honour bestowed on the Hemas
• The German logistics company Hellmaan to build 1 preschool in Navadanweli,
Chavalakadei Tsunami Foundation, the Trustees were

• The Sri Lankan company Tajima Colombo (Pte) Ltd., along with Hitoshi Tajima, requested to symbolically hand over 20 Model
the President of Tajima Industries Ltd., Nagoya, Japan, to build 1 preschool in Preschools in the tsunami-affected areas to
Hambantota
President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
When the final tally was taken, there were funds only for 17 preschools and a scramble
had begun to find donors. Otherwise, the children of Bentota, Ratgama and Boossa The occasion was the launch of ‘The National
would be left out in the cold without preschools.
Year of Children’ on February 1 , 2006, by the
st
Looking around for donors, the Hemas team had approached the Asian Development
Bank (ADB) but there was a major snag. According to its protocols, the ADB could not government.
provide funds to the private sector but had to work with the government. The ADB had
requested the Pradeshiya Sabha (PS) Chairmen in these 3 areas to present their case as
to why the ADB should allocate funds to them to put up the preschools, at a meeting
at the Galle Secretariat.
With the ADB staff present being foreigners and a language barrier cropping up as
well as ignorance of the ECCD programme among these Chairmen, Shiromi had deftly
intervened to handle the meeting on their behalf and the matter had been settled
without further ado.

Thereafter, the promises of the Hemas Group had been fulfilled and 20 Model
Preschools for tsunami-affected children were up and running.

The symbolic handover of the Model Preschools in the tsunami-affected areas to President Mahinda
Rajapaksa by Mr. Murtaza Esufally.

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