Consumers said, “Give me a Sunlight” for many decades when purchasing soap from a shop. Though people knew little about the manufacturer, the soap is a well known brand in Sri Lanka.
This was the glowing tribute paid to Unilever Sri Lanka Ltd, makers of Sunlight Soap, by Gamini Wickramapala, Director, Sri Lanka Samurdhi Programme at the Awards Ceremony of the Sunlight Saubhagya Scholarship Scheme which coincided with Sunlight soap in the Sri Lankan market for the last 125 years, held at the Western Provincial Cultural Centre, Colombo last week.
He said that Sunlight has been a household name everywhere in the country and it is a great feat for a private company of the magnitude of Unilever to embark upon this scholarship scheme that would enlighten the lives of mostly those in the rural areas, unless otherwise these talented young ones would be forgotten.
He said that being in the market for 125 years is a great event to celebrate in a grand scale, but instead of such grandiose celebrations Unilever has chosen this worthy cause. “Sunlight Saubhagya” is a project to harness the entrepreneurial spirit among rural women and empower them by providing them an opportunity to generate a sustainable income to enhance the quality of life of their families.
The Sunlight Saubhagya Scholarship Awards, part of Sunlight Saubhagya Women Empowerment, focuses on highlighting children’s talents in entrepreneurship where they are recognized and rewarded with scholarships to those who excelled academically in arts, drama and sports.
Thus 50 students mostly drawn from rural Sri Lanka were awarded scholarships. Over its 125-year history Sunlight has gone beyond the functional space of providing homes and communities fresh clean clothes. The brand which has grown to be an icon has reached out and touched communities and people of diverse ages, races and cultures. Apart from Sunlight Saubhagya project, Sunlight is also known for its other Corporate Social Responsibility activities such as recognizing unsung heroes in the society and rewarding them.
Susantha Punchchinilame, Minister of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development was the Chief Guest in the presence of Amal Cabraal, Chairman, Unilever Sri Lanka Ltd. |
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