NDB Bank along with the youth wing of the ‘Wildlife & Nature Protection Society’ (WNPS) celebrated 'World Environment Day 2022' and ‘World Oceans Day 2022’ with specially curated programs for schools located close to the Anawilundawa Wetland Sanctuary, a Ramsar wetland of international importance. The sessions were curated to inspire transformative action to celebrate, protect and restore our planet - especially the mangrove forests, which are valuable Carbon sinks that these children are the future custodians of. A key feature of this project is that students are encouraged to address environmental issues in their own areas.
In the first phase of the program, the children were immersed in learning about the environment in both a local and global context and the on-going challenges the natural world faces. The next phase of this project would involve the children in the on-going restoration efforts at the Anawilundawa Wetland Sanctuary, a project led by the Marine Committee of the WNPS.
Commenting on the project, the Chairperson of the NDB Corporate Sustainability Committee Melody Wickramanayake said, “NDB Bank’s partnership with WNPS began in 2018, with the aim of taking the message of conservation to young people, interacting with schools in Colombo and beyond, working with the students and teachers on specific conservation projects and adding value to our environment. Our gratitude to WNPS for helping us make the ‘Education for Conservation’ project a success, educating and empowering over 20,000 students to date, island wide”
Zaineb Akbarally, Chairperson of the WNPS Youth Wing, said, "We are exceptionally grateful to NDB Bank for joining hands with us in this collaborative venture to cultivate the ethos of sustainability and inspire a new generation of environmentally conscious leadership amongst children across the country. In a few short years, the project has made an incredible impact and been far-reaching, with us directly working with over 80 schools across 15 districts. These children are our country's future leaders, and they will undoubtedly play an instrumental role in ensuring the sustainable utilisation of Sri Lanka's valuable natural capital in the years ahead.
World Environment Day is celebrated annually on the 5th of June, with the goal of encouraging awareness and action for the protection of our environment. The 2022 theme ‘Only One Earth’ emphasises the need to protect our Earth today for our children’s tomorrow.
World Oceans Day is celebrated annually on the 8th of June, to raise global awareness of the impact of human actions on the ocean and to develop a worldwide movement of citizens for the ocean. This year’s theme is ‘Revitalisation: Collective Action for the Ocean’ which is a clarion call to mobilise and unite the world to save our oceans. The oceans are essential to food security and the health and survival of all life, power our climate and are a critical part of the biosphere.
NDB Bank was awarded the “Best Bank in Sri Lanka 2022” for the second consecutive year by Global Finance Magazine USA and “Best Digital Bank 2021” at the Asiamoney Best Bank Awards for Sri Lanka in addition to being named the “Most Awarded Corporate 2021” as per LMD ranking. Meanwhile, the Bank was also bestowed with the ‘Top Ten Corporate Citizen Award’ for the 7th consecutive year for its sustainability initiatives. NDB is the 4th largest listed bank in Sri Lanka and the parent company of the NDB Group. The only financial services conglomerate in Sri Lanka, NDB Group is uniquely positioned towards assisting the growth and development of the Sri Lankan financial market to provide its customers seamless access to the product and service offerings of all its group companies.