Standard Chartered donates to Foundation of Goodness

Standard Chartered Sri Lanka announced the donation of Rs. 3,680,000 (USD 20,000) to the Foundation of Goodness (FoG) to improve the digital literacy skills of students at their centres in rural villages. The donation will help equip the centres with upgraded IT infrastructure, benefiting over 2,500 students in the Northern, Eastern and Southern provinces. 

“Sri Lanka saw a sudden switch in the education system from physical to virtual due to the pandemic driven nation-wide lockdown, proving the inevitable dependence on technology. However, the lack of IT infrastructure in our country has made keeping up with the change difficult, especially for the rural communities. Standard Chartered, both globally and locally, is dedicated to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and we believe that this donation will take us one step closer to achieving inclusive and equitable education to students across Sri Lanka,” said Bingumal Thewarathanthri, CEO, Standard Chartered Sri Lanka commenting on the donation to Foundation of Goodness.

The new IT equipment purchased through the project will include high-speed computers with upgraded software, fast internet connections and Audio-Visual equipment allowing teachers to help facilitate a blended teaching approach by integrating digital learning tools in lessons. 

Anuk De Silva, Head, Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing, Standard Chartered Sri Lanka commented on the Bank’s donation, “In today’s day and age, it is important that youth keep abreast of the developments in the world, especially in the digital front. Standard Chartered values the opportunity to create a positive impact in this area, supporting students in need with vital digital infrastructure facilities enabling them to learn new and more innovative educational content necessary for their growth. This year-long project also creates an avenue for staff at Standard Chartered to share their skills and expertise with the beneficiary children as part of the Bank’s Employee Volunteering Mechanism.” 

Foundation of Goodness is a Sri Lanka-based non-profit organisation dedicated to bridge the urban/rural divide through humanitarian and developmental programmes across 500 villages in Sri Lanka.