Colombo International Container Terminals Limited (CICT) together with the social responsibility arm of its parent company, China Merchants Foundation (CMF), has successfully commissioned, built and donated a well-equipped, two-storey Community Centre Building to the Pannila Village, in Horana.
The new multipurpose Community Centre was declared open by Mr Jack Huang, CEO of CICT and the Chief Guest K.D.S. Sajeewana, Divisional Secretary of Horana during a special opening ceremony held on 26th May 2022 at Pannila , Horana. The event was also attended by members of the community, local government and the CSR Team members of CICT.
The total investment in this Community Centre building is USD 102,000, which will provide several local government offices and a meeting place for the community. This centre will cater to around 4000 residents of Pannila and Thalagala East in Horana. Prior to this, CICT also distributed USD 10,000 worth of stationary and aid among schoolchildren and senior citizens in Pannila.
Pannila is the first village included in the Hope Village Project, which is a joint effort between CICT and CMF. The objective of this project is to bring a ray of hope to the rural Sri Lankan communities by uplifting the living standards of those with inadequate funding.
Speaking about the initiative, Jack Huang, CEO of CICT said, “CICT is always focusing on fulfilling its corporate social responsibility. Our communities matter to us, so we are trying to help those in need of assistance by uplifting their living standards. We are very proud of our efforts, and we will look forward to continuing our good work, in partnership with China Merchant Foundation and our parent company China Merchants Group. ”
CMF, the CSR arm of China Merchants Group and CICT also donated custom wheelchairs worth US$ 9000 to three ITF-ranked tennis players as part of their continuing support to the Wheelchair Tennis Programme of the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA). A total of Rs. 41 million has been donated by CICT and CMF to this programme from 2015 to 2021. CICT and CMF have also supported “C-Blue Restore Sight Project” in Sri Lanka in collaboration with the National Eye Hospital, which has helped more than 400 cataract patients regain sight.