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EU hands over new homes under ‘Homes not Houses’ project

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Ushathevi and her family pictured in front of their Habitat house in Villavettuvan village, Batticaloa, constructed with compressed stabilized earth blocks

Implemented by Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka and World Vision Lanka

Representatives of the European Union (EU) ceremoniously handed over homes to owners under the ‘Homes not Houses’ project, a EUR 14 million EU funded project, implemented in the North and East of Sri Lanka. Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka and World Vision Lanka successfully concluded this multi-year, multi-faceted undertaking that empowered more than 2,370 conflict-affected families to resettle and rebuild their lives and future through sustainable housing and community economic development.

“Our lives have taken a turn for the better. We now dare to dream of a better future for our children who want to be doctors, teachers and bankers to contribute to the development of our country. We cannot express in words the hardships we faced during the war but we can express our heartfelt gratitude towards all those who assisted us to rebuild, resettle and regain our dignity. There are many more families who need help just like us. We hope they too will receive the same support”, expressed home-owner Nagalingam Sandiran of Karaichchi, Kilinochchi.

Speaking at the handing over ceremony in Kilinochchi, EU Ambassador Denis Chaibi said “This project is about investing in people, particularly those who have gone through the hardships of violent conflict, to build on their resilience. We hope that as we invest in people, these beneficiaries will also invest in themselves and each other by working together in ways that will bring results and advance peace and reconciliation. The “Homes not Houses” project is also noteworthy for its approach, prioritising owner-driven, environmentally friendly construction. So, it is an amalgam of two EU priorities: investing in people and preserving the environment.”

“Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka was honoured to work alongside families in need of safe and secure housing where children can study and play in a healthy environment while parents can focus on improving their livelihoods and communities can contribute to social cohesion” said Yu Hwa Li, National Director, Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka. “We greatly appreciate the unwavering support of the European Union and World Vision Lanka that ensured a successful completion.”

With this project the EU concluded its decade long “Aid to Uprooted People” programme in the country, during which the EU provided more than EUR 50 million towards owner-driven reconstruction for over 20,000 households and internally displaced persons affected by conflicts. In addition, as compared to other existing housing programmes in the country, the project adopted an innovative “home owner driven” approach where the households contributed directly to the design and construction of their home. It also featured the use of innovative, sustainable and low-carbon construction technologies and materials locally produced such as compressed stabilized earth blocks1 with about 45% of the houses built. It is known as one of the best examples of Habitat’s climate-sensitive initiatives where families and masons had opportunities to learn about the benefits and utilize sustainable construction technologies and materials that are an alternative to mining sand known for their negative impact on the environment but also an alternative to use of costly and carbon intensive imported cement.

Also present was the Government Agent for Kilinochchi Rubawathy Ketheeswaran who oversees the development work by several NGOs and state entities in the North related to the resettlement of IDPs. Commenting on the project Mrs. Ketheeswaran said, “It was my responsibility to promote this project’s unique concept of eco-friendly construction concept and I was able to enlighten the people about its benefits in terms of the cooling effect and efficiency in electricity consumption.”

The project also featured an economic and livelihood development component. About 46,000 people improved their self-sufficiency through skills training and livelihood support in husbandry, agriculture, home-based construction enterprises, and built resilience through disaster risk reduction mapping and drainage and culvert improvements. “It’s wonderful to see the impact of this partnership between the European Union, Habitat for Humanity and World Vision” said Shelby Stapleton, Director of International Resource development and Management, World Vision Lanka “Working together with the government and community to secure livelihoods and homes, not houses, is critical for stability and cohesion, and we are thrilled to see the fruits of this labour today”



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Women led LPO services firm Velox Partners enters new office space in Colombo

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Velox Partners is a 90% women led Legal Process Outsourcing firm now in Sri Lanka

Velox Partners, a tech-based legal process outsourcing (LPO) firm, expanded its presence into Colombo to augment its existing law firm. Velox commenced operations in January 2020 prior to the onset of the pandemic. Today, it has expanded its services across numerous verticals Commercial law, Litigation, Conveyancing and Company Secretarial Services, with Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO) Services being the core. It is geared as a fully-fledged legal service provider servicing clients across United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore and Southeast Asia.

Velox is female-led with over 90% being women comprising versatile and experienced lawyers. Their expertise bridges multiple disciplines of law with a local and global clientele. The two powerhouses leading the firm are its founding partners Lihini Fernando and Dakshika Perera whose collective experience spans over three decades.

Velox Partners saw Covid-19 restrictions and remote working as an opportunity to position the firm as a tech-based entity and launched its LPO arm. Providing back office legal services to law firms across continents was seen as a viable business model that is both functional and lucrative. Furthermore, the partners of Velox realized the potential of positioning Sri Lanka as a LPO Hub, where the LPO sector enables foreign remittance to the island nation to rebuild its economy. This also provided an opportunity particularly as LPO services can be offered remotely, without a physical office presence.

Velox has serviced clients in over 14 jurisdictions worldwide providing solutions on the ethos, ‘Beyond Legal’. Velox believes in combining business efficiency and tech enabled processes to differentiate itself from the conventional law firms.

Lawyers at Velox are solution providers guided by industry expertise. The team comprises professionals based in Australia, the United States of America, Singapore, and Sri Lanka which enables them to draw cross country perspectives in providing services. Velox is now poised to use their multiple years of experience across continents to provide smart legal solutions.

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Estonian TV crew gets a taste of Sri Lanka for the first time

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Meeting with SLTPB officials

Sri Lanka Tourism, under its Scandinavian market promotions hosted a Media FAM with 4 Media personnel from Kanal2 TV from Estonia. The tour started off on February 28 and ended on March 8. The purpose of hosting this tour was to receive more high-end tourist arrivals from Estonia, as well as the other Scandinavian markets including Lithuania and Latvia.

Subsequently, this tour was hosted in collaboration with the Sri Lanka embassy in Sweden which contributed to make this tour a success. The FAM Tour covered all the main tourist attractions in Sri Lanka, including wild life, Ayurveda, Boutique hotels, and also cultural attractions.

All these attractions were filmed and the destination will be promoted on air via Kanal2 TV, through the TV show ‘’ Kaugele Siit’’ (far from here). The first episode of this programme is scheduled to be telecast for 45 minutes. This travel programme has 420,000 followers as their audience. Kanal2 TV was also the official Media partner for the Winter Olympics 2018, a Sri Lanka Tourism press release said.

The release adds: ‘The visitors were quite impressed with the 8-day tour which they had, enjoying every moment of their tour. They were equally mesmerized with the warm hospitality which they received from the Sri Lankans, which they are mostly renowned for. They enjoyed the traditional Sri Lankan cuisine, and the variety of dishes which they tasted. Nevertheless, they had the opportunity of exploring every attraction of the paradise island to convey the message to their fellow Estonians, that Sri Lanka is a unique travel destination which has everything in store for the enthusiastic traveler.

‘They also had a cooking demonstration by courtesy of Siddhalepa Ayurveda Resorts & Spas Wadduwa, and also a Yoga treat at the same venue. Visiting the Turtle Hatchery at Kosgoda , the Elephant orphanage at Pinnawala, going through a safari at Eco park was also another amazing experience which they had during their stay.’

 

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The Academy of International Business signs Memorandum of Understanding with the University of the Pacific

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More than 50 students graduated this year from AIB

Academy of International Business Sri Lanka (AIB) held its second graduation at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall with over fifty graduates successfully passing out. At the recent graduation, the business academy signed its MOU with the University of the Pacific.

The signing of the MOU is a major milestone for the business academy. The courses offered are DBA, MBA, and BBA top-up programs through AIB. Prof Liam, Rector – of the University of Pacific, expressed confidence that the program delivered by AIB will be very beneficial.

The event was graced by passed graduates, teachers, and lecturers, the ceremony was hosted by the chief guest and the regional director of ABE(UK) Dr Praveen Mahendran. “The ABE(UK) is one of the long-standing professional awarding bodies from the UK and AIB is proud to be associated with ABE and approved by the awarding body.

Hard work, competency and capability are the values that produce results, through the AIB and its programs these are achievable. Every student is encouraged to show their full potential”.

The distinguished guests were the Vice President of the BNI Pioneer Chapter, Dilan Fonseka. He emphasized, the importance of students gaining experience in entrepreneurial skills and business development by enrolling at BNI. AIB is a member of BNI, which creates multiple opportunities.

About the Academy of International Business: AIB is recognized for its management programs, digital marketing, marketing, and English language programs such as IELTS, and PTE. It’s widely popular among students in search of pursuing business and management courses.The Director of AIB Sri Lanka, Chrishankar Janathanan, expressed the institute’s commitment to providing the best quality education. It’s not only a center that is simply cornered to the education sector but also has focused its efforts on recruitment services and digital agency services.

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