Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), the leading ICT and digital solutions provider conducted a special event at Colombuthurai Thuraiyappa Vidyalaya, Jaffna recently in celebration of Thai Pongal, the harvest festival celebrated by the Hindu community in Sri Lanka as well as across the globe. This celebration conducted by SLT was one among a series of corporate social responsibility initiatives conducted by the company to uplift rural schools as well as foster cultural and religious harmony and encourage social cohesion amongst the different communities in the country. Several SLT staff from Colombo and Jaffna attended the function to celebrate Thai Pongal as one family.

Thai Pongal is a festival that celebrates harvest and prosperity, yet sadly there are so many underprivileged people in the country lacking food and proper nutrition and are unable to properly enjoy or celebrate such festivals. Thus, in the spirit of Thai Pongal, SLT went on to distribute 50 nutrition packs to villagers who were in need to add more relevance and meaning to the event hosted by SLT at the above school.

Parallel to the Thai Pongal celebrations, SLT also conducted another CSR project at the same school premises. This event comprised of numerous activities including the distribution of computers and accessories to the school to encourage and support ICT education. The company also provided the school with an SLT broadband connection with rental waived off for 12 months, empowering the students and staff of the school with ultra-fast internet connectivity in yet another endeavor to support the ICT education of the students. In addition, SLT equipped the school’s library with books on a wide range of subjects to encourage a reading culture and also provided first aid boxes. School bags and stationeries were also distributed to 50 underprivileged students to further support them in their education.

Furthermore, during the programme, SLT went on to recognize and appreciate students for their outstanding performance in a wide range of spheres including academics, sports as well as extracurricular activities such as dancing, singing and the designing of Kolam rata. The main goal behind this activity was to appreciate outstanding students as well as encourage others to perform their best at school. The morning comprised of an action packed as well as a meaningful programme which was enjoyed by all who attended.

As a demonstration of their appreciation to SLT as well as to contribute to the event, the students performed many entertainment and cultural activities together with Kolam and Rangoli designs at the Thai Pongal celebration.