Sarva Colombo partners ‘Death to Dengue’ campaign

Founder and Managing Director of Power World Gyms Talavou Alailima (left) with Sarva Colombo Managing Director Chrishantha Jayasinghe 

Sarva Colombo recently had the opportunity to put its expertise as “growth experts” to good use by joining hands with other agents of change in support of the ‘Death to Dengue’ initiative. 

This civil society-led campaign is the brainchild of Talavou Alailima, the Founder and Managing Director of Power World Gyms, who witnessed the devastating impact of dengue firsthand. 

The campaign was a direct response to the dengue epidemic that was progressively worsening with every passing year. Alailima realised that unless drastic preventive action was taken, history would repeat itself this year and result in the deaths of children and adults alike, on par or worse than the statistics that were recorded previously.

Sarva Colombo’s decision to partner the cause was to inspire citizens to be proactive and take responsibility by cleaning their houses and surroundings. The agency’s role as Communications Partner entailed encouraging more people to get involved to make the campaign a long-term neighbourhood watch program. 

Commenting on the initiative, Alailima stated: “This is a massive initiative that requires support from all sections of society. The dengue menace must end and we must do what is required to stop this plague in its tracks. If we start in the here and now, we’ll know which direction we need to go in and how much more effort we need to invest to eradicate Dengue from Colombo and ultimately the whole of Sri Lanka.”

Sarva Colombo Managing Director Chrishantha Jayasinghe joined the Executive Committee of the initiative. Speaking on Sarva Colombo’s role to play in driving the campaign, Chrishantha noted: “This is one of the rare occasions in which a client requested our help in reducing a situation but it was a project we supported wholeheartedly. We are delighted to have been able to use our growth skills to help reduce the spread of dengue.” 

Sarva Colombo, along with other partners of the project including Seven Media Group, the Pest Control Association and the iOM Group, helped raise awareness of the issue island-wide and equip citizens with the necessary information on action that could be taken to save lives. The initial drive divided Greater Colombo into the North and South segments. Residents were called to organise themselves into neighbourhood groups to identify and destroy mosquito breeding grounds and disrupt breeding cycles. Various sites were inspected, including residential compounds, business premises, abandoned properties, roadside danger zones and drains. 

The increase in dengue was primarily attributed to the monsoon rain and floods that resulted in pools of stagnant water and rain-soaked rotting trash around the country which are the ideal breeding grounds for dengue mosquitoes. 

The original ‘Death to Dengue’ campaign bore the slogan ‘I did it for your child’ and is inspired by Alailima’s personal experience with the disease. Sharing his thoughts, he explained: “All three of my children have had dengue. Even my five-month-old baby got dengue in 2012 and the doctors said there was a 90% chance of losing him. 

“It was a hard fight. All my sons made it through, but not all families are that lucky. The ‘Death to Dengue’ campaign grew out of my frustration at seeing how dengue is spreading in Sri Lanka. We need to come together and make this change. Only if we do something different will the result change. We can’t do nothing and expect something to happen.”

The ‘Death to Dengue’ campaign has since garnered strong support from people and sectors across the board. Campaign promoters include the likes of MP Dayasiri Jayasekera, MP Harin Fernando and MAS Intimates CEO Dian Gomes. Volunteers actively involved in the project include business organisations, civil service associations, medical institutions, media personnel and prominent personalities including business leaders, celebrities, sports figures and politicians. A ‘Death to Dengue’ website and Facebook page has been established to create awareness about dengue and disseminate information on the proper identification and eradication of dengue breeding sites. Furthermore, a campaign-specific mobile app has also been created to help campaign members keep government departments and other relevant authorities apprised of any garbage or breeding grounds detected after the end of the August campaign or which could not be neutralised by teams during the August dengue drive.Alailima is the Founder and Chairman of Power World Gyms Ltd. He pioneered the Sri Lankan fitness industry with his chain of Power World fitness centres, the first of which was launched in 1994. He is a US qualified Strength Training and Sports Nutrition Consultant and has been a part of many national level clubs, school teams and champion athletes for the past two decades. 

He is acknowledged as one of the most knowledgeable, experienced and committed individuals on performance nutrition, sports high performance, exercise, fitness and overall wellbeing in the country. Today, his dedication towards eradicating the dengue menace has saved innumerable lives and fostered the growth of a community where thousands of Sri Lankans have united with the health, wellbeing and safety of their neighbourhoods at the core of it all.

Thirteen years on from humble beginnings as an agency with just five employees, Sarva Colombo has since strategically expanded its team and made its mark as the ‘growth expert’. The agency provides 720-degree solutions, including culture transformation, using strategies and insights based on research, most of which is conceptualised in Sinhala and Tamil. The agency continues to deliver exceptional results for high-calibre brands across a diverse spectrum of industries. With a passionate and talented 60-member team, Sarva Colombo maintains that effective advertising is the only advertising worth paying for.