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Brandix caring crosses the Atlantic

Sri Lanka’s Brandix Group has taken caring for the community beyond national boundaries to support people suffering from leukaemia and cancer in the United States of America by becoming a sponsor of ‘America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride,’ a fund-raiser for the fight against blood cancers.

An apparel exporter of significance in the US market, Brandix joined many other top global brands as a Silver Sponsor of last year’s event at Lake Tahoe, Nevada, which raises funds for the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Society whose mission is supporting the search for a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improving the quality of life of patients and their families.

“For an emerging global player like Brandix, the world is the community, especially with globalisation dismantling national boundaries,” said Brandix Director AJ Johnpillai.

“This sponsorship reflects our commitment to the well-being of local communities wherever we are present as a manufacturer or as a supplier.”

‘America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride’ in Lake Tahoe was conducted by Team In Training (TNT), the world’s largest endurance training programme for the novice and the advanced athlete.

Each participant in the fund-raising race is assigned a team mate, a child or adult with blood cancer, to motivate him or her to keep training and push hard on the day of the event. TNT has helped raise US$ 750 million over the past 20 years for the efforts of the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Society.

Nationally, all TNT chapters combined raised US$ 7.1 million at this year’s event. Sri Lanka’s largest apparel exporter and the pioneer of the concept of inspired end-to-end solutions to the apparel industry, Brandix has extensive corporate social responsibility involvements that take the company to the grass roots in rural Sri Lanka.

The Group’s CSR efforts are driven by the central corporate theme ‘Water is Life’ and constitute a long term commitment to increasing the availability of water and the provision of safe drinking water to those most in need.

As part of this effort, Brandix donated to the government and people of Sri Lanka a Water Research and Training Centre in Anuradhapura and partnered Deutsche Bank in a project to provide water filters to 2000 families in the North Central Province.

The Group’s community outreach initiatives also include providing water through desalination plants, wells and pipe-borne water to communities in and around its manufacturing plants and the improvement of sanitation facilities in needy areas.

In another demonstration of compassion for the community, the employees of Brandix donated 1721 pints of blood to the National Blood Transfusion Service (NTBS) of Sri Lanka in August last year.

Nations Trust Bank opens branch in Homagama

Nations Trust Bank ushered in the New Year on an auspicious note with the opening of its 37th new branch in Homagama.

Residents in Homagama and the neighbouring towns can now experience a Bank that offers enhanced customer service and a range of new and improved financial products to suit each individual need.

The new branch located in the heart of the town area will offer the residents access to the Bank’s services and products delivered 365 days of the year with extended banking hours for added ease and convenience.

The Bank’s Inner Circle customers will also have access to enjoy the unique Bank at Your Doorstep service that will literally bring the Bank to the location most convenient to the customer.

Commenting on the opening, Director/CEO of Nations Trust Bank PLC Zulfiqar Zavahir remarked, “We are indeed delighted to strengthen our branch network, greatly adding to the convenience of our customers. Homagama has quickly become a key hub for business and we are delighted to bring the services of the Bank to the patrons of the area.” Nations Trust Bank PLC is one of the fastest growing banks in Sri Lanka today.

Business community helps mentally disordered

The doors of the National Institute of Mental Health, NIMH, in Angoda, were opened to the business community, for the first time since its inception in 1926. The business community was invited to visit the Institute at an “Open Day” held in its premises recently.

The programme was organised by the NIMH in collaboration with Voluntary Service Overseas, VSO and the Business for Peace Alliance, BPA, Sri Lanka’s network of regional business chambers.

The purpose of the “Open Day” at the NIMH was to showcase the skills and talents of the patients at Angoda and invite the business community to partner the Institute in its efforts to cure patents and integrate them to normal social life by providing income generating opportunities.

The Institute through its Training Department, is well organised and equipped to train inmates to produce handicrafts and engage in cottage industries.

The products turned out were showcased at a mini exhibition.

All the products adhered to high standards in quality. Several companies are already placing orders for products from the NIHM.

The space and facilities to turn out products to cater to market needs is available within the Institute.

The business community who participated in the programme was also enlightened on current programmes where inmates of the NIHM are employed by industries.

The inmates remain housed in the NIMH under the care of the staff and commute daily to their places of work.

A representative of Ceylon Paper Sacks, one such company referring to his employees from NIMH said, “I am pleased that things have turned out to be favourable, with the group of ladies being very keen, eager to work and attentive. They now work as a team with other employees.

I am happy to report that some work is completed more carefully by them. I would like to emphasise that there is no difference now between our previous employees and them”. A representative of Ultra Kleen-Cleaning Services that also employs inmates of the NIHM stated: “The average work within wards and other chores are taken care of very well and others are engaged in gardening.

Good work has undoubtedly paid off, with the joy of witnessing this transformation and the healthy outcome of it”.

A team of dedicated staff led by NIMH’s Director, Dr Jayan Mendis, supported by Consultant Psychiatrists, Dr Pushpa Ransinghe and Dr Ganeshan had spared no pains to make the “Open Day” at Angoda an enlightening and memorable occasion to the business representatives.

SAITM to sign MOU with NNSMA

The Faculty of Medicine, South Asian Institute of Technology and Management (SAITM), will be signing a MoU with the Nizhny Nogrodov State Medical Academy (NNSMA) today at 4.00 p.m. at the Water’s Edge, Battaramulla to conduct medical degree programmes.

The Chairman, SAITM, Dr. Neville Fernando and the Vice Chancellor, NNSMA Prof. Gennady Alexandrovich Bulanov, will sign the MoU.

POSIFLEX unveils Point-of-Sales applications

POSIFLEX Forum was recently held in Colombo for the fourth successive year, with the participation of Regional Director for Business Development of Posiflex Technologies Inc, Taiwan, Shanon Ma.

Shanon Ma making her presentation at the Forum

POSIFLEX is the market leader for best of class retail business systems and solutions in Sri Lanka, and the POSIFLEX Forum is a much awaited annual event among the retail business fraternity, as it is a knowledge sharing experience which brings the latest innovations in POSIFLEX technologies, products and solutions to the local business community.

POSIFLEX Forum 2008 which was well attended by many enthusiastic local enterprises, unveiled POSIFLEX POS system’s latest advanced technology application features and specialty functions for industries such as Retail trade, Hospitality, Healthcare and many more, with wireless, standing upgradeability, product life time commitment and cost saving concepts for potentials.

POSIFLEX systems have a proven track record of over two decades, and are totally flexible, and cater to businesses of varying magnitude all around the world.

Since its inception, Posiflex Technologies Inc, Taiwan has consistently maintained a simple yet important 4R Policy of Reliable quality, Revolutionary technology, Reasonable price and Recognized service. Its undivided focus and commitment to this dictum has made POSIFLEX the preferred choice of POS systems in USA, Europe, Africa and Asia.

Posiflex Technologies Inc, Taiwan is represented by Retail Information Technologies (Pvt) Ltd (Retail IT), its exclusive distributor for world renowned POSIFLEX Point Of Sales (POS) terminals, peripherals and systems in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Social welfare activities of Sierra Global

Director / CEO of Sierra Global Network Private Limited Dr. Arosha Fernando hands over of the sponsorship cheque to the President of the Old Students’ Association of Wadduwa Central College D. C. Munasinghe.

Sierra Global Network Private Limited has taken a further step on engaging in social welfare activities in keeping with its Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) by awarding ten scholarships to most needy children of Wadduwa Central College at a ceremony held at the College Hall in Wadduwa.

The company also sponsored renovating of the Special Education Unit of the school, where the children are either mentally slow or physically handicapped.

This unit consists of students of many ages ranging from five years and the staff makes every effort to help them to get over their shortcoming by scientific methods so that they could move with the other students and the society without any hindrance.