LOLC Divi Saviya

Conceived as a humanitarian project to provide food for underprivileged families facing the harsh challenges stemming from the economic crisis, the Divi Saviya initiative is founded on the empathy that the LOLC Group has for the citizenry. We realised the need for sustenance and support across the island, as countless families struggled to survive the hardships brought about by the rising cost of living where helpless households were unable to fulfill even the most basic needs such as food.

LOLC is driven to uplift communities from poverty; and in line with its alignment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the group has prioritised social and economic development of people. This business philosophy has guided and shaped the role it has undertaken to help Sri Lankan communities emerge from the challenges they are facing at this juncture.

The unique project was launched in May 2022 and focussed on distributing food rations to households that were most in need of support during this difficult time. LOLC has worked in collaboration with News First as well as government authorities- namely, the Divisional Secretariats and Grama Sevaka Niladari units- to ensure transparency in distributing food supplies to households living below the poverty line.

The initiative has thus far distributed 150,000 packs valued at $1.6Mn, supporting around 4.5 million people across the island covering all districts, communities, age groups and religions. In collaboration with News First and the Divisional Secretariats, LOLC will continue to support Sri Lanka’s most vulnerable communities to survive.

Sri Lankan Leopard Conservation

The Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) is the largest of the four wild cat species found in Sri Lanka, and the apex mammalian predator on the island. It is believed that there are less than 1000 leopards roaming in the wild within the island. Further, the leopard is threatened globally by habitat loss and illegal wildlife trade, while in the human-dominated land-use areas in Sri Lanka.

In addressing this knowledge gap, LOLC Holdings PLC partnered with Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) for a 05 year project to establish a network of specialised leopard conservation locations and research centers across identified geographically important areas, within Sri Lanka.

In the initial phase, six research stations will be set up in identified locations across Okanda or Panama, Morningside, Killinochchi, Belihuloya, Maskeliya or Nallathaniya, Sigiriya or Ritigala. The Project will monitor the presence of leopards in selected geographical areas, using camera traps and surveys. The Research Centres will liaise with local wildlife and forest officers, and also serve as educational hubs to generate awareness amongst the local communities, including knowledge dissemination and generating research-based human-leopard conflict mitigation measures.

The Project will provide a critical context for the management and conservation of the Sri Lankan leopard, currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Recent research has shown that leopard habitat suitability in Sri Lanka is heavily influenced by forest cover, patch size, connectivity, and the level of protection of the landscape, a critical requirement to conserve the island’s biodiversity.

Reforestation and Eco System Restoration Project

Endowed with a diverse range of forest eco-systems, Sri Lanka is inherent of different topographic, climatic, bio diversities found around the country. However, the recent environmental reports signal a rapid increase of deforestation in Sri Lankan forests and a degradation of the entire eco system. The reports further identify that the catalysts of deforestation drives are mostly socio-economic in nature, and varies from land encroachment, development projects to expansion ventures.

With a sound understanding on the commitment required, LOLC Finance PLC, the largest Non-Banking Financial Institution (NBFI) of the country, recently entered in to an agreement with Mathurata Plantations and Vibhawa Solutions Private Limited, to concentrate on replanting endangered and endogenous species in degraded natural forests and private lands to support the reforestation efforts to enrich the natural order.

The core target of this project is to plant 20,000 trees ranging from 12,000 fruit plantations, medicinal herb plantations to few other selected native plants. The venture will be entirely funded by LOLC Finance, whereas the planting undertaking will be handled by ‘Thuru’, under Vibhawa Solutions.