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The third annual National Convening on Recognizing Unpaid Care Work was recently held in Colombo under the theme “From Policy to Community-driven Solutions: Engaging Communities to Share Unpaid Care Responsibilities.”
Organized by The Asia Foundation and the Women and Media Collective (WMC) with support from Global Affairs Canada, the event brought together government officials, diplomats, civil society leaders, and private sector stakeholders to address the disproportionate burden of household and caregiving responsibilities placed on women and girls.
Key speakers emphasized that unpaid care work limits women’s access to education, employment, public life, and personal development. High Commissioner of Canada Isabelle Martin reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to gender equality and inclusive economic participation, while The Asia Foundation’s Country Representative Johann Rebert underscored the necessity of centering women’s rights and lived experiences in policy discussions.
A central focus of the convening was the draft National Policy on Unpaid Care Work, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs. Saroja Savithri Paulraj, Minister of Women and Child Affairs, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to translating national policy frameworks into actionable reforms. WMC Director Dr. Sepali Kottegoda noted that the draft policy—which aims to enhance social protection, human development, and equitable economic growth—is currently under review and scheduled for Cabinet submission this year.
The program also highlighted ground-level interventions, showcasing community-led initiatives across Sri Lanka:
Care Facilities: Pilot women-led day care models for children, elders, and persons with disabilities operating in Jaffna, Batticaloa, and Anuradhapura.
Community Advocacy: Awareness campaigns promoting shared household responsibilities in Kurunegala, Nuwara Eliya, Hambantota, and Batticaloa.
Panelists emphasized the urgent need for affordable, accessible care infrastructure alongside targeted programs to engage men and boys in redistributing caregiving tasks.
Seylan Bank empowers women entrepreneurs with women-led business forum
Sriyani Dress Point brings a new fashion landmark to Colombo
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Sampath Bank, in collaboration with Mastercard, is providing members of the Institute of Chartered Professional Managers of Sri Lanka (CPM Sri Lanka) with a tailored premium banking proposition through the Sampath CPM Sri Lanka Platinum and World Mastercard credit cards. Along with offering financial flexibility, the new cards come with a range of exciting travel and lifestyle benefits.
Both cards offer worldwide Mastercard acceptance, SampathCards Ultra Rewards Points, overseas travel insurance cover of up to USD 100,000, contactless Tap & Go payments and flexible instalment plans.
Darshin Pathinayake, Chief Business Intelligence Officer, Sampath Bank, said, “Our approach is to create financial propositions recognising the evolving needs and aspirations of different customer segments. The Sampath CPM Sri Lanka Mastercard World and Platinum Credit Cards combine the strength of our card offering with the value of professional affiliation, giving eligible CPM Sri Lanka members access to benefits that complement their lifestyles while supporting greater financial flexibility.”
The World Mastercard credit card offers access to global airport lounge benefits and a range of travel and lifestyle privileges. On the other hand, the Platinum card provides international lifestyle and golf privileges, along with an optional life insurance cover of up to LKR 1.5 million, subject to the applicable premium. Both cards offer pre-approved credit limits aligned to members’ CPM status, subject to the bank’s credit evaluation and policies. Additionally, the first-year annual fee is waived on both cards, while World Mastercard cardholders also enjoy a waived joining fee.
Mahesha Amarasuriya, Country Manager, Sri Lanka, Mastercard, said, “Today’s professionals expect payment solutions that fit seamlessly into their increasingly connected lifestyles, delivering security, convenience and meaningful value wherever they are. Through our collaboration with Sampath Bank and CPM Sri Lanka, we are bringing together trusted payment experiences, global acceptance, and travel and lifestyle benefits to help members get more from every transaction.”
Prof. Lakshman R. Watawala, Founder and President, Institute of Chartered Professional Managers of Sri Lanka, said, “Professional advancement brings evolving expectations around convenience, financial flexibility and lifestyle. This partnership offers CPM Sri Lanka members a dedicated financial proposition that recognises their professional standing while providing practical benefits to support their personal and professional journeys.”
Active CPM Sri Lanka members can contact the SampathCards Centre or visit their nearest Sampath Bank branch for further information on eligibility, applications and applicable terms and conditions.
Commercial Bank of Ceylon and Toyota Lanka (Private) Limited have renewed their strategic partnership to make owning a new Toyota vehicle more accessible and affordable through attractive leasing packages, reflecting the Bank’s commitment to driving growth through highly tailored financing solutions and value-added benefits.
The renewed collaboration by two leaders in their respective fields, will promote leasing facilities for the full range of Toyota passenger and commercial vehicles through Commercial Bank’s island-wide branch network, offering both existing and new customers an opportunity to finance their vehicle purchases on favourable terms.
With this arrangement, Commercial Bank will offer the lowest interest rates and flexible repayment plans that can be tailored to customers’ income patterns. Customers obtaining lease facilities for Toyota vehicles will also qualify for a waiver of credit card joining and annual fees for the first two years on cards issued by the Bank.
Toyota customers will benefit from the flexible residual value repayment options that significantly lower monthly rentals by deferring up to 50% of the cost of the vehicle for one year, scaling down to 30% for a five-year tenure, payable at the end of the lease period.
Additionally, a special benefit will be offered on brand-new Toyota vehicles leased under this arrangement through a partnership between Commercial Bank and Commercial Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Ltd. (CIBL). To further enhance the financial flexibility, the premium payments for insurance policies placed via CIBL can be converted into 6- or 12-month 0% interest Easy Payment Plans (EPP), with handling fees completely waived, the Bank said.
Continue Reading Business Ceylinco Life sales professionals win six awards at SLIM National Sales Awards 2026 Published
Six sales professionals from Ceylinco Life, Sri Lanka’s life insurance market leader, have earned national recognition for their performance, winning six awards at the 2026 National Sales Awards of the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM).
The awards recognise the achievements of Ceylinco Life’s sales team across three categories, with the winners representing the Company’s Wennappuwa, Middeniya, Negombo and Nugegoda branches.
Lasitha Fernando of the Wennappuwa branch won a Silver award in the Territory Manager category, while J.A. Rathnasiri of the Middeniya branch secured Silver in the Sales Executive category and K. D. L. N. Inoka of the Negombo branch received a Merit award, also in the Sales Executive category.
In the Frontliner category, Rashmi Suraweera of the Negombo branch won Bronze, while Kumuduni Rathnayaka of the Nugegoda branch and Sherman Rukshan of Colombo Special Sales Branch each received Merit awards.
The SLIM National Sales Awards recognise high-performing sales professionals for their achievements and contributions to their organisations, setting benchmarks for excellence in sales at a national level. The 2026 awards programme brought together sales professionals from 20 industry categories, with awards presented across nine designations spanning frontline sales, sales management and sales support functions.
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