Sri Lanka Vanithabhimana, an esteemed awards programme aimed at empowering the remarkable women of Sri Lanka, proudly returns for its fourth consecutive year, jointly organised by NDB Bank and Sirasa News 1st.
Building upon the resounding success of previous editions, which culminated in grand finales at prestigious venues such as the Nelum Pokuna in 2021, BMICH in 2022, and Stein Studios in 2023. This programme spans a period of six to seven months and concludes with a grand award ceremony that celebrates the exceptional achievements of women across various sectors of the nation’s economic and social landscape.
What began as an awards programme dedicated to recognising and appreciating the accomplishments of Sri Lankan women has transformed over the years into a national-level platform. This platform not only empowers women but has also actively contributed towards breaking down socio-economic entry barriers. As of 2022, nearly 5,000 applications have been collected for the programme, and over 200 provincial winners have been crowned while simultaneously providing a wide range of financial and non-financial support services.
This year’s programme will be held in four distinct phases. It was officially launched with a media conference held on the 12th of October at Galadari Colombo. Commenting at the media conference, NDB CEO Dimantha Senevirathne stated, “We are pleased to announce the launch of the fourth consecutive edition of Sri Lanka Vanithabhimana, the flagship collaboration of NDB Bank and News First MTV. Dedicated to discovering and recognising excellence demonstrated by females across multiple sectors, this endeavour also serves the nationally significant purpose of stimulating female participation in economic activities. We draw motivation from the success of the prior three editions and inspiration from the magnitude of talent, courage, and potential of females we witnessed from across the island. Sri Lanka Vanithabhimana 2023/24 translates NDB’s unabated strategic commitment to empowering the women’s segment into tangible and impactful action, who continues to face escalated challenges in the current context. We look forward to crowning yet another batch of true talent and nurturing their growth, whilst inspiring many more”.
Subsequently, Sri Lanka Vanithabhimana’s official mobile parade, the “Around Sri Lanka Parade”, will traverse the nation for 30 days starting on the 13th of October, covering the 25 districts. This aims to not only create awareness about the awards programme but also encourage women to submit their applications and engage in the enjoyable activities that have been planned.
The provincial-level competitions represent the second phase, where five outstanding finalists will be selected from each category. These categories include Sports, Entrepreneurship (Micro Scale), Entrepreneurship (Small Scale), Entrepreneurship (Upcoming), Voluntary Services, Art, Education Services, and Young Leadership.
The third phase introduces corporate sector competitions tailored for professionals within the corporate world. In each category, 8 participants will be chosen, and from these, the finalists per category will ascend to the final awards ceremony. The selection of the 8 winners from each category will be entrusted to a special judge panel of experts in their respective fields. These categories span Human Resources, Finance Management, Marketing and Advertising, State and Government Sectors, Hospitality Industry, Art, Sports, and Entrepreneurship.
Sri Lanka Vanithabhimana not only celebrates the accomplishments of women but also serves as a powerful platform for empowerment, where the determination and excellence of Sri Lankan women are recognised and championed across various sectors, fostering a more inclusive and progressive society.
The Sri Lanka Vanithabhimana programme is conducted under NDB’s Araliya Banking on Women proposition, which operates with the aim of ‘giving you more than what you want’ which offers a wide array of banking facilities tailored to empower and uplift NDB’s female entrepreneurs. This comprehensive suite of services includes the NDB Araliya Savings Account with inbuilt insurance schemes. Additionally, female entrepreneurs can benefit from the NDB Araliya Credit Card, NDB Araliya Current Account, NDB Araliya Savings Account, NDB Araliya Debit Card, and lending facilities (subject to the prevailing credit criteria of the Bank).
At present, NDB Araliya has a portfolio of Rs.40Bn and has provided crucial support in the form of loan facilities to nearly 50,000 female entrepreneurs, reaffirming its commitment to fostering their growth and success.
Furthermore, these enterprising women gain access to the NDB Araliya Knowledge Sharing Forums, participation in NDB Araliya monitoring and networking sessions, and access to third-party advisory services, facilitating crucial aspects such as business registration, bookkeeping, entering the digital market space, personal well-being, etc. Additionally, a specialised certification programme on Small Business Management is offered to further enhance their skills and knowledge.
Commenting on this momentous occasion, NDB Assistant Vice President, Marketing Darshana Jayasinghe stated that “NDB’s unwavering dedication to supporting female entrepreneurs is exemplified through its ‘Banking on Women’ holistic proposition, which empowers women to shatter the glass ceiling and achieve remarkable success.” Further adding through the NDB Araliya framework, female entrepreneurs are not only recognised but also provided with the tools and resources needed to thrive in the business world, contributing to a more inclusive and equitable society.