OrphanCare welcomes Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson as Trustee

Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson

Renowned business personality Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson recently joined the Board of Trustees of OrphanCare, which is an initiative introduced to avoid a second abandonment for orphan children as they transit from their childcare homes to adulthood. 

By adhering to Article 2 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, OrphanCare ensures that all children, irrespective of their race, colour, religion or ethnicity, have access to the program.

Kasturi is currently the Chief Operating Officer of five-hour International Corporation, a top energy beverage brand in USA and Singapore. Kasturi made history as the first female Group CEO of a listed conglomerate in Sri Lanka, when she was appointed as Group CEO of Hemas Holdings PLC in 2020, a position she held until March 2024. She currently sits on the Board of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, while previously served on boards of Sri Lanka Institute of Directors, CIMA Sri Lanka, and the American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka. 

Kasturi is a dual sport national athlete, having represented Sri Lanka in both netball and basketball, and captained the National Basketball Team in 1989 for which she later on served as council member of the National Sports Council of Sri Lanka. From a humanitarian perspective, Kasturi serves on the UNICEF Business Council, where she champions Child Rights and Sustainable Development, further complementing her new role as a trustee of OrphanCare. During her tenor at Hemas, Katsuri played a key role in many humanitarian projects through the Hemas Outreach Foundation, including Piyaware Pre-schools, Ayati and Ekase Salakamu. 

Commenting on Kasturi Chellaraja joining the Board of Trustees, OrphanCare Trust Chairman Ruzly Hussain said: “We are very honoured to welcome Kasturi Chellaraja to the Board of Trustees. Her extensive experience in both the corporate and social sectors will be invaluable as we work towards our mission of transforming the lives of vulnerable orphan children. Kasturi’s commitment to social responsibility aligns perfectly with our values, and we look forward to her contributions in shaping the future of OrphanCare.”

With Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson other trustees of OrphanCare include: Trust Chairman Ruzly Hussain (Rotaract movement in Sri Lanka Founder), Trust Treasurer Jazri Magdon Ismail (AAT Past President), Harsha Amarasekera (President’s Counsel), K.R. Ravindran (Board of Trustees of Rotary Foundation USA Chairman and Rotary International former President), Sharad Amalean (MAS Holdings Co-Founder), Deshabandu Tilak de Zoysa (Helpage International Chairman), Osman Kassim (Amana Bank Founder Chairman), Tyeab Akbarally (Akbar Brothers Senior Director) and Mohamed Azmeer (Amana Bank Managing Director/CEO). The Trustees have instituted a strong governance framework to maintain the highest standards of integrity and ensure the long-term sustainability of the Trust.

Established with Amana Bank as the founding sponsor, OrphanCare aims to create a nurturing and enabling environment for the orphaned children to thrive and avoid a second abandonment. A notable feature of this initiative is that Amana Bank ensures that every donated rupee directly reaches the intended beneficiaries since all administrative and operational costs are fully borne by the Bank. To date OrphanCare has enrolled over 3,000 orphans from over 90 childcare homes across the country.