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Thurunu Diriya loan tailored for success
View(s):Every entrepreneur dreams of seeing a business grow into a reputed enterprise, and young Kosala Shakyamali Dissanayake, who designs bridal sarees, sews garments and produces bags and slippers from her home in Eppawala, Anuradhapura, is seeing that dream take shape as the 100th recipient of a Bank of Ceylon Thurunu Diriya loan.
Kosala Dissanayake (inset) began her business, Sithmini Tailors, four years ago
The Thurunu Diriya scheme has opened up great opportunities for young entrepreneurs to develop their business and help the nation’s economic growth.
Twenty-four-year-old Kosala Dissanayake began her business, Sithmini Tailors, four years ago, and helps her mother, who works at the Mahaweli Authority, support her family.
Soon after finishing her education at Sri Siddhartha Central College at Eppawala, Ms. Dissanayake took sewing and tailoring courses at the Mahaweli Authority and at Singer Sri Lanka for three years and two years respectively. These courses gave her the opportunity to fine-tune her inborn talent.
She learned about the Thurunu Diriya loan scheme when she went recently to the Anuradhapura District Secretariat to register her business, and after studying the information available she applied for a loan.
“The officials at the Anuradhapura District Secretariat were very helpful in getting me this loan,” she said. “As it has a reasonable interest rate I am confident that I’ll be able to pay it back under the business plan prepared by the Small Enterprises Development Division.”
She has used a part of the loan – received a few weeks ago – to buy materials and lace needed for saree work and bags.
Ms. Dissanayake is also currently studying Beauty Culture. “After finishing the Beauty Culture course I will have knowledge in both tailoring and beauty culture, and then I will able to do bridal work on my own,” she said. “I will use the rest of the loan to make this dream come true in January next year by opening a shop in the town and by recruiting more staff for it,” she said.
The Bank of Ceylon, in collaboration with the Policy Development Office of the Prime Minister’s Office, the Central Programme Management Unit of the Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs and the Small Enterprises Development Division of the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Project Management and Southern Development, implemented the Thurunu Diriya loan scheme.
The scheme provides loans either without a guarantor or collateral, or with lenient guarantor conditions for young entrepreneurs who possess a degree or a recognised vocational certificate and have been in business for not less than three years.