Sri Lanka Vanithabhimana empowering women for the 4th consecutive year

Sri Lanka Vanithabhimana, an esteemed awards programme aimed at empowering the remarkable women of Sri Lanka, is returning for its fourth consecutive year, jointly organised by NDB Bank and Sirasa News 1st.

Building upon the resounding success of previous editions, which culminated in grand finales at prestigious venues such as the Nelum Pokuna in 2021, BMICH in 2022, and Stein Studios in 2023. This programme spans a period of six to seven months and concludes with a grand award ceremony that celebrates the exceptional achievements of women across various sectors of the nation's economic and social landscape, the bank said in a media release.

What began as an awards programme dedicated to recognising and appreciating the accomplishments of Sri Lankan women has transformed over the years into a national-level platform. This platform not only empowers women but has also actively contributed towards breaking down socio-economic entry barriers. As of 2022, nearly 5,000 applications have been collected for the programme, and over 200 provincial winners have been crowned while simultaneously providing a wide range of financial and non-financial support services.

This year's programme will be held in four distinct phases. It was officially launched with a media conference held on October 12 at Galadari Colombo. Commenting at the media conference, NDB CEO Dimantha Senevirathne stated, "We are pleased to announce the launch of the fourth consecutive edition of Sri Lanka Vanithabhimana, the flagship collaboration of NDB Bank and News First MTV. Dedicated to discovering and recognising excellence demonstrated by females across multiple sectors, this endeavour also serves the nationally significant purpose of stimulating female participation in economic activities. We draw motivation from the success of the prior three editions and inspiration from the magnitude of talent, courage, and potential of females we witnessed from across the island. Sri Lanka Vanithabhimana 2023/24 translates NDB’s unabated strategic commitment to empowering the women’s segment into tangible and impactful action, who continues to face escalated challenges in the current context. We look forward to crowning yet another batch of true talent and nurturing their growth, whilst inspiring many more”.

Sri Lanka Vanithabhimana not only celebrates the accomplishments of women but also serves as a powerful platform for empowerment, where the determination and excellence of Sri Lankan women are recognised and championed across various sectors, fostering a more inclusive and progressive society.

The Sri Lanka Vanithabhimana programme is conducted under NDB’s Araliya Banking on Women proposition, which operates with the aim of ‘giving you more than what you want’ which offers a wide array of banking facilities tailored to empower and uplift NDB's female entrepreneurs. This comprehensive suite of services includes the NDB Araliya Savings Account with inbuilt insurance schemes. Additionally, female entrepreneurs can benefit from the NDB Araliya Credit Card, NDB Araliya Current Account, NDB Araliya Savings Account, NDB Araliya Debit Card, and lending facilities (subject to the prevailing credit criteria of the Bank).