Business
Save the Children hosts ECHO mission and provides lifesaving assistance to children in Sri Lanka
Children in Sri Lanka still require critical lifesaving support more than one year from the onset of the poly-crisis that continues to devastate the country with half a million jobs lost and 2.7 million additional people falling into poverty. (Data from World Bank)
Across the island, 38% of families with children are unable to meet their basic food and education needs, according to a recent needs assessment by Save the Children. In another stark sign of the escalating crisis, families are being forced into increasingly desperate measures to meet basic daily needs.
To address the threat to families’ essential needs, Save the Children has supported vulnerable households in the Colombo and Badulla districts with cash assistance of LKR 25,000 (USD 75) per month, from February to April 2023, through European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO). So far, this project has supported over 5500 people with cash assistance, mental health psychosocial support, including stress management and positive coping, as well as support for protection concerns to help them overcome the severe challenges brought on by the economic crisis. Thilini* a 26-year-old mother of three from the Colombo district who received support through the ECHO-funded project, said:
“Since the crisis began last year, prices of basic goods have become unaffordable. At times when we have no support, it is difficult for us to afford nutritious food, recently, all we ate was rice and dhal.
“To be very honest, we have barely been able to afford to get by. Mahesh* stopped going for his treatments, as we prioritized our children’s wellbeing over ours.”
“Receiving this cash assistance lifted a huge weight off my shoulders – our expenses were many, but I managed to buy my children nutritious food like eggs and meat, their school supplies, and the medicines we had foregone.”
Thilini’s* husband, Mahesh* suffered a stroke two years ago, leaving him partially paralyzed and unable to provide for his family since. Thilini* is now the primary caregiver to her husband and their young children, leaving her unable to seek work.
Save the Children’s Country Director in Sri Lanka, Julian Chellappah, said, “With the unpredictability of the poly-crisis, children in Sri Lanka are in dire need of immediate support, as it impacts their access to food, education, and protection. The country’s children should not have to bear the burden of this crisis and pay for it with their futures. We wholeheartedly welcome this life-saving support from the EU, which will build resilience among the most vulnerable and marginalized and strengthen our ability to respond to communities most affected by this crisis.”
Ceylinco Life’s Ambalantota branch agent AIP Manjula has been named one of three global finalists for the prestigious Insurance Agent of the Year award at the 11th Asia Trusted Life Agents & Advisers Awards (ATLAA) 2026.
The recognition places a Sri Lankan insurance professional among the finalists in a regional field spanning South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
Ceylinco Life said the achievement reflected the calibre and customer-focused approach of its agency force, while recognising Manjula’s professionalism and commitment to policyholders.
The award evaluates insurance agents on criteria extending beyond sales performance, including ethical conduct, client service, policy persistency, digital adoption, innovative practices and contributions to the insurance industry and community.
The awards are organised by Asia Advisers Network and Asia Insurance Review, with LIMRA as co-organiser. An independent judging and balloting process is monitored by KPMG as the official scrutineer. The judging panel comprises senior insurance executives, association presidents and industry experts from across the Asia-Pacific region.
CEAT Kelani Holdings (CKH) has retained its National Long-Term Rating of ‘AA+(lka)’ with a Stable Outlook from Fitch Ratings for the sixth consecutive year, reflecting the company’s financial resilience and leading position in Sri Lanka’s pneumatic tyre market.
The ‘AA+(lka)’ rating, the second-highest on Fitch’s national scale, indicates a very strong capacity to meet financial commitments.
Fitch said CKH’s established market leadership and resilient financial profile remained key strengths, while noting its exposure to price-sensitive, cyclical and highly competitive markets.
The Stable Outlook reflects expectations that the company will maintain its market position despite rising input costs and increasing competition from imported tyres, while preserving adequate credit metrics during periods of weaker earnings and higher investment.
Fitch expects CKH’s established brand, extensive dealer network and adaptive pricing strategies to support its market position. Planned production facility upgrades are also expected to improve product quality, particularly in the radial tyre segment.
The rating agency expects near-term pressure on margins from higher raw material and energy costs but said the company’s low leverage and sound liquidity would provide a cushion.
CKH Chairman Chanaka De Silva said the rating reinforced the company’s focus on disciplined financial management, operational adaptability and long-term investment.
SLT-MOBITEL Enterprise, the enterprise services arm of Sri Lanka Telecom PLC, has launched its Premium Cloud service powered by Nutanix, aimed at helping Sri Lankan businesses modernise their IT infrastructure and accelerate digital transformation.
The service was unveiled at the Lanka Tech Summit 2026 held recently at ITC Ratnadipa, Colombo.
The Premium Cloud combines hybrid multi-cloud capabilities with enterprise-grade performance, enabling businesses to run mission-critical workloads, scale cloud deployments and strengthen business continuity through disaster recovery capabilities.
Hosted on SLT-MOBITEL’s Tier III data centre infrastructure, the platform is designed to provide enhanced security, reliability and flexibility while supporting the growing technology requirements of enterprises.
SLT-MOBITEL Enterprise said the platform would also support organisations seeking to adopt AI-ready capabilities and improve the management and performance of IT workloads.
A key feature of the launch was SLT-MOBITEL Enterprise joining the Nutanix Elevate Service Provider Program (NESPP), which the company said made it the first service provider in the region to join the programme.
Powered by Nutanix’s hybrid multicloud platform, the service enables application and data mobility across on-premises environments, public clouds and edge locations.
The company said the partnership combined Nutanix’s cloud technology with SLT-MOBITEL’s local expertise and support, strengthening its multi-cloud portfolio.
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