Sarvodaya laptop micro-loans for disadvantaged rural and suburban kids

Sarvodaya Development Finance, a licensed Finance Company approved by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, launched “Nena Diriya” Micro Leasing Loan with the aim of uplifting the education of children in suburban and rural parts of Sri Lanka by providing them access to purchase laptops at concessionary rates, a Sarvodaya press release said.

The launch ceremony, attended by Sarvodaya Development Finance Chairman Channa de Silva and CEO Nilantha Jayanetti, was held at the Kamburupitiya Branch recently.

“With the spreading of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown imposed islandwide in March, children’s education was significantly disrupted as they were unable to attend school or tuition classes. As a result, a number of schools shifted to conducting classes using online tools. While a minority of the student population living mostly in the urban areas had easy access to computers and laptops for their online education, a majority of the population from suburban and rural areas were left out due to financial difficulties in purchasing laptops,” the release said.

“As a responsible organisation that believes that all segments of society are cared for and given every opportunity to grow, Sarvodaya Development Finance stepped forward to provide these students the means to acquire their own laptop by launching the “Nena Diriya” Micro Leasing Loan. Nena Diriya offers low interest rates and attractive benefits for students of any age group to acquire a laptop for their studies.”

Channa de Silva – Chairman of Sarvodaya Development Finance commented, “The COVID-19 pandemic has caused great hardships in Sri Lanka and across the world. One of the most vital aspects for the future of the country is to ensure that children are able to continue their studies without falling behind. The inequalities of society mean that a large majority of the student population do not have access to modern technology such as laptops. Therefore, in order to give them a helping hand, we at Sarvodaya Development Finance stepped forward by launching the ‘Nena Diriya’ Micro Leasing Loan. We are confident that this latest product by the Company will enhance the educational opportunities for thousands of students across all parts of the island.”

Sarvodaya Development Finance is the development finance arm of the Sarvodaya Movement, one of Sri Lanka’s largest and most respected not-for-profit organisations. Sarvodaya is a leading people’s organisation in Sri Lanka with a history of 60 years’ operating in more than 5,000 villages currently in the country.