Marks & Spencer, CARE Sri Lanka and MAS Holdings have completed the building of a community housing project in Bandaragama called “Senehasa Piyasa Housing Scheme;’ for 41 tsunamiaffected families. At least one member from each of the 41 families is a MAS Holdings employee. The project cost Rs. 60 mn, with 60% of the cost donated by Marks & Spencer and CARE and the balance contributed by MAS Holdings. Each house cost Rs. 800,000. The site is spread over an area of 5 acres with each house built on 10 perches. Every house has two rooms, a living room, kitchen, toilet, bathroom and porch. The new complex also consists of a playground, sports field, community-meeting hall, medical room, library and three shop units. The site also has water and electricity, in addition to a perimeter fence to provide security and privacy. From the very beginning MAS Holdings was actively involved in assisting with tsunami relief. The company started a Tsunami ReliefTrust Fund, to which many international companies, inclusive of MAS Holdings’ aggressive Chinese competitors, have donated. The trust fund has utilized US$ 1.5 mn in reconstruction projects along the southern coast.
Deshamanya Mahesh Amalean, Chairman, MAS Holdings said that from the very beginning MAS community housing project in Bandaragama called “Senehasa Piyasa Housing Scheme;’ for 41 tsunamiaffected families. At least one member from each of the 41 families is a MAS Holdings employee. The project cost Rs. 60 mn, with 60% of the cost donated by Marks & Spencer and CARE and the balance contributed by MAS Holdings. Each house cost Rs. 800,000. The site is spread over an area of 5 acres with each house built on 10 perches. Every house has two rooms, a living room, kitchen, toilet, bathroom and porch. The new complex also consists of a playground, sports field, community-meeting hall, medical room, library and three shop units. The site also has water and electricity, in addition to a perimeter fence to provide security and privacy.
From the very beginning MAS Holdings was actively involved in assisting with tsunami relief. The company started a Tsunami ReliefTrust Fund, to which many international companies, inclusive of MAS Holdings’ aggressive Chinese competitors, have donated. The trust fund has utilized US$ 1.5 mn in reconstruction projects along the southern coast. Deshamanya Mahesh Amalean, Chairman, MAS Holdings said that from the very beginning MAS to British tourists who had been affected by the tsunami in Sri Lanka. “Later we felt that we had to make a contribution to the countries affected by the tsunami, so we launched the Marks & Spencer tsunami fund. We placed collection tills in every Marks & Spencer throughout the UK and within two weeks customers and employees donated over pounds 2 mn. However we felt that a corporate contribution had to be made to Sri Lanka because we have many people who work for Marks & Spencer here, so a donation of pounds 250,000 was made,” she said. Every beneficiary of the Senehasa Piyasa Housing Scheme were given the keys and title deeds on December 21, 2005.
