The program was conducted in partnership with the Kandy Zonal Education Office under the Sisu Dirimaga platform and was held at the Sri Siddhartha Vidyalaya Ampitiya Kandy.
100 Advanced Level Students from 10 schools were selected and trained as Peer Counselors who would assist students who are in need of counseling services along with the respective school teacher in charge.
This program is a signature event which will be conducted in all districts in Sri Lanka with the guidance of the Ministry of Education with the objective of training more than 2500 peer counselors within the alumni network, with the end goal of enabling students to resolve the day to day issues that they are faced with.
In addition a career development program on Future Planning & Goal Setting, was also held at St. Paul's Girls School Milagiriya with the participation over 350 students of the school.
This event too was sponsored by Fashion Bug (pvt) Ltd under the Sisu Dirimaga foundation.
Mr. Chandana Gunawardane -Consultant Soft Skills Development & Psychology and Managing Director - Comsept Lanka and Mr.Nalinda Premaratne - Trainee Consultant & Artistic Director - Act 4 : Theater for Change, were the main resource persons of the programme.
“It is our aim to establish a sustainable CSR platform as opposed to miscellaneous one-off projects that lack clear long term objectives.
The Sisu Dirimaga programme ensures that all the projects will stem from one clear platform, establishing a clear CSR identity for Fashion Bug as a responsible Corporate Citizen, as well as give our customers the satisfaction of being part of a noble national cause”, said Mr. Shabier Subian- Director Fashion Bug.
To date Fashion Bug has completed several CSR programmes within the Sisu Dirimaga Foundation, while other CSR programmes too have either been completed or are on going .
The drinking water project that was completed and presented to the Ovitigamuwa Maha Vidyalaya whereby after several years of consuming water with high levels of iron - water that was deemed as unsuitable for human consumption by Public Health Inspectors, the students were able to consume safe drinking water thanks to Fashion Bug , the all island Career Guidance programmes, the Roo Siththam [ all island art competition ] programme, Purudu Wenna [ environment ] programme, all of which come under the Sisu Dirimaga Foundation, are just some of the educational CSR initiatives undertaken by the Company .
Similarly the Kalubowila Hospital, Maharagama Cancer Hospital, and an environmental project, namely ‘Thuru Sahasak’, are all projects undertaken by Fashion Bug .
“ Each Fashion Bug outlet works closely with its community. We have close links with the community centres and religious communities of all religions and we actively participate in and contribute to all their events.
As part of the profits generated from a branch in a particular area are channeled towards the CSR project of that area, our customers who patronize that particular outlet are proud custodians of that particular project and feel that they too are working side by side with us”, said DGM Fashion Bug, Dr. S.H.M Faraaz.
