21 November 2021:
Noting the potential of digitisation as a method of transforming ethical financing, Sarvodaya Development Finance (SDF) partnered with Mitra Innovation to connect the village of Kethsirigama to a number of digital platforms, thereby enhancing their ability to conduct business and achieve economic growth. The partnership with Mitra Innovation will revolve around providing access to comprehensive digital learning and employment opportunities. The project is part of a larger effort to promote ICT education in rural areas, forming pathways for youth to enter the Information Technology industry as professionals.
Mitra Innovation, one of Sri Lanka’s foremost innovative business solutions developers, offers scalable solutions with the right level of resources, at the right price, with minimal risk. The Company uses secure internal and external collaboration to draw better insights and turn business requirements into strategic, innovative solutions, generating growth and customer engagement. With expertise across multiple systems and platforms and across all business and public sectors, Mitra Innovation strives to help those on all stages of the digital journey.
One key outcome of the partnership will be the enrolment of 20 carefully selected youth from across a variety of diverse ethnic groups in a four month-long design course. To initiate the activity, a team of 25 volunteers from both Companies travelled to Ampara to initiate the educational program, primarily targeting school-leavers in the surrounding area. The programme will begin with a twelve-week long induction ahead of the key components of the course which will be led by the team of volunteers and SMEs from across Mitra Innovation. At the end of the program, based on their performance, ten students will be eligible for selection to enroll in a six-month internship at Mitra Innovation.
The efforts to digitize and educate the citizens of Kethsirigama stands to bring about a plethora of benefits, including significantly empowering youth on the path to securing employment, and adding digital design credentials to their resumes. The youth will also be exposed to a number of online job opportunities, available at Companies in Colombo and other economic centers across the island.
Commenting on the partnership and launch of the digital education drive, Chief Executive Officer of Sarvodaya Development Finance, Nilantha Jayanetti, stated, “Driving ethical financing and economic inclusivity through digitization and the enhancement of digital capabilities has always been a core focus at SDF. We are therefore very proud to announce the partnership with Mitra innovation, to build such capabilities.”
Adding his thoughts on the initiative, Co-Founder and MD Asia – Mitra Innovation, Dammika Ganegama, stated, “Amidst a surging global ICT demand, Sri Lanka has an excellent opportunity to create ICT knowledge workers with higher salaries, uplifting the lifestyles of our youth, while driving innovation and positive social change. Given the wide reach and spread of SDF’s rural village network and their community-lead ongoing social impact programs, Mitra found its most impactful to join hands with Sarvodaya Development Finance to drive this unique program.”