Financial Times

Unilever Sri Lanka and its employees pledge 100 mln
Unilever Sri Lanka and all its employees have rallied round Sri Lanka's worst ever crisis and has pledged more than Rs 100 million in cash and material, the company said.

"The need of the hour was to provide clean water, cooked food and basic essentials to those displaced. As a first step, all employees pledged a part of their salaries and with the company contributing more than three times this amount, an initial relief fund of Rs. 15 million was formed," a statement added.

Immediate arrangements were made with the Sri Lanka Air Force to airlift one thousand packets of cooked food each day for one week to remote and inaccessible parts of the affected areas. The Lifebuoy water bowser left the company premises with clean water for distribution from Kalutara to Hambantota.

Using the company's extensive distribution network, relief supplies have already been distributed directly to people in affected areas of Kalutara, Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Ampara, Batticaloa, Vavuniya and Trincomalee districts. The relief packages contained essentials like drinking water, rice, sugar, Lipton tea, Sunlight soap, Signal toothpaste, Marmite, plastic buckets, towels, feeding cups, sleeping mats etc.

The outpouring of concern right from the factory worker through to top management was overwhelming. Virtually all employees lent a hand spending long hours into the night not only organising the relief effort but also helping to physically pack the goods.

Teams of employees also volunteered to take the relief supplies directly to the people affected and are even today busy distributing the relief packs with the help of the company distributors and their staff.

Expressing shock and grief at the devastation caused, Unilever Sri Lanka's Chairman Ehsan Malik commented, "We will do everything within our means to help ease the burden.

What the company and its people have done so far is just the beginning. I have been in touch with our parent company Unilever and have received their fullest backing to continue the good work. We will be immediately donating a further sum of Rs. 25 million to the government's relief fund.

Unilever is also open to supporting reconstruction and rehabilitation projects with donations up to Rs.100 million. This once again reasserts Unilever's deep commitment to the people of Sri Lanka - an association cherished for over 70 years".

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