AmCham SL & Partners Donate R/O System to Palai Central College in Commemoration of
World Water Day 2023
2023: The American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka, together with its
members, global partners, donors, and well-wishers commissioned on 17 th March 2023 in
commemoration of World Water Day 2023, which is celebrated on 22 nd March each year, a
Reverse Osmosis plant to provide safe drinking water to over 700 students, of the Pallai Central
College, Pallai, in Kilinochchi.
Dysfunction throughout the water cycle undermines progress on all major global issues, from
health to hunger, gender equality to jobs, education to industry, and disasters to peace. Billions
of people and countless schools, businesses, healthcare centers, farms, and factories are being
held back because their human rights to water and sanitation still need to be fulfilled, and in
2015, the world committed to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 as part of the 2030
Agenda – the promise that everyone would have safely managed water and sanitation by
2030. World Water Day 2023 is about accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation
crisis, and as a leading private sector organization, AmCham SL and partners intend to catalyze
action in this space.
Commenting on the initiative, President of the AmCham SL, Lakshan Madurasinghe stated “The
American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka, together with our donor partners are truly
delighted to be able to provide the Pallai Central College access to safe drinking water
which is essential not only to the present students but those to come in the future.
Scaling of support in this space is vital and we welcome our member companies to join
hands to make a difference to more schools across Sri Lanka.”
The Assistant Principal of Palai Central College, Mr. Sujitha Sugunenthiran, noted “Life is not
easy in a rural community like this where we have fewer infrastructure resources, and
one of the biggest issues for us is the access to safe drinking water. Seven hundred
students and seventy staff are getting purified water because of this initiative. We are
extremely grateful to you all for your contributions to make this happen. It’s moments
like this that remind us to hold on to the good things”
The project, undertaken as part of the AmCham Gives Back initiatives for 2022/23, was
supported by AmCham SL members, as well as the members of the USA-Sri Lanka Chamber of
Commerce based in NY, USA, and was facilitated by Appe Lanka, a rural development project
initiated by Awakening Lanka, to empower 06 districts in the North & East beginning in
Poonakary to initially give safe drinking water to 22 schools in the district.