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Sampath Bank Managing Director AravindaPerera (right) receiving the award from Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Secretary General/CEO Mangala P. B. Yapa (left) as Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Chairman Suresh Shah and Reserve Bank of India former Deputy Governor Dr. Subir Gokarn look on
Sampath Bank has been awarded with prestigious awards in four categoriesfor its constant sustainable CSR efforts that have resulted in a long-term benefit and an ultimate positive impact on the communities they serve.
As authentication of its outstanding success in uplifting well-being of the Sri Lankan society, Sampath Bank has been recognised as one of the top ten best corporate citizens in the country. The bank’s successful ‘Hope for a life’ program, the Endowment of Neuro Navigator System at the National Hospital, Sri Lanka, won the Best Sustainability Projectaward in Infrastructure category. This Neuro Navigation System was the first such system gifted to a Government hospital by a private commercial bank in the country.
In addition, certificates of Merit were awarded to Sampath Bank for their outstanding contribution towards environment protection through its ‘Outstanding Eco Teams’ and for the ‘Wewata Jeewayak’ project, which was an attempt to reconstruct the Dematava tank which spreads over land area of 29 acres at Panduvasnuwara in the Kurunegala District.
Speaking on their sustainable CSR efforts, Tharaka Ranwala, Deputy General Manager – Marketing and Business Development, Sampath Bank, said: “We at Sampath Bank comprehend the importance of a bank to play a positive role in the economy as well as the society at large. We believe that CSR goes beyond just a charitable donation to the environment and the society. It is about making a difference and sustaining a right balance between the society and the business of organisations. As such, we have embedded CSR into an in integral part of our day-to day business practices. We have therefore, demonstrated our support towards building a better Sri Lanka by taking up varied projects under the ‘5E CSR Model’ and sponsoring events in the locations that we operate. We believe that this differentiation in customised social services has been the driving force towards achieving the many wins we have been awarded this year.”
The ‘Hope for a life’ program was the bank’s unique initiative to save another life which in turn kept with the ethos of accomplishing the nationwide needs of Sri Lanka. The bank gifted a Rs. 49 million worth fully-fledged Neuro Navigation System to the National Hospital of Sri Lanka.
This system helps neuro surgeons in the accurate identification of those locations in the brain where nerve related surgeries are to be performed. The donation further contributed towards increasing the speed at which surgeries were performed, thus enabling the hospital to treat and benefit a greater volume of patients.
Keeping in line with the Green Day celebrations held in May 2014, Sampath Bank organised a competition to identify the ‘Outstanding Eco Teams’ among the staff. Under the guidelines of this competition, each respective eco team had to complete a tree planting project with a minimum of 100 trees. In addition, the members of the teams were required to reduce their monthly electricity consumption (units as per the electricity bill) in their households. To date, Sampath Bank remains the only bank that has taken such an innovative step towards an eco-friendly competition of this nature.
The ‘Wewata Jeewayak’ project was undertaken by the bank and handed over to the general public on 23 June. The renovation saw an overwhelming attempt to provide the dry zone farmers with a continuous supply of water for their paddy fields in the ‘Maha’ and ‘Yala’ seasons. The project successfully benefited nearly 200 families with the supply of water to over a hundred acres of paddy fields.
Sampath Bank seeks to factor social responsibility and sustainability into its approach to business. Its constant socially responsible practices have reflected the bank’s ability to deliver innovative products and services while simultaneously responding to community needs. The bank guarantees a continued engaging spirit towards uplifting the standards that currently exist in the local Sri Lankan community. Sampath Bank hopes that through its constant CSR efforts, Sri Lanka will be one step closer to thriving as a more developed nation.
