Ozo Hotels provides access to clean drinking water and sanitation for rural communities in the countries they operate in, under the flagship CSR program ‘Water for Life’.
In Sri Lanka, ‘Water for Life’ is an ongoing project where each year Ozo Colombo and Ozo Kandy identify causes that need support. Funds for these projects are raised from the contributions made by the guests of Ozo and Amari.
For ‘Water for Life’ 2018, Onyx Sri Lanka’s third property, Amari Galle also joined the initiative acknowledging the importance of providing access to clean water.
Area General Manager, Onyx Sri Lanka, Russell Cool, “Access to clean water is a basic human right. Yet, we receive many proposals each year from those who are in dire need of clean water, meaning thousands still lack access to it, particularly in rural areas.”
“The Onyx Hospitality Group is committed to helping disadvantaged communities; and this year’s project focused on disadvantaged children and giving them a fair chance for a better tomorrow,” he said.
Many homes, facilities and schools in rural areas of Sri Lanka still lack water, putting the lives of people, especially young children, at the potential risk of disease and infection.
The Keeragala Tamil Vidyalayam in the Keeragala village was identified with the support of NGO Leads, which works for marginalised groups throughout the country.
The school comprises 130 students and 14 teachers. The classes up to grade nine are conducted within the space of only four classrooms; each room managing two grades simultaneously.
In addition to the poor learning spaces and facilities, access to clean water has been a major challenge for the past 80 years of the school’s existence.
“There have been many occasions where the water stored in the tank was insufficient to meet our needs as there was no continuous water flow.
At times when there is a lack of water, parents assist in collecting water and filling up storage barrels. Most children are from poor households and many don’t even have access to a reusable water bottle,” said Principal, Keeragala Tamil Vidyalam, J. Damien.
As a result of the ‘Water for Life’ program, Keeragala Tamil Vidyalam has received access to clean water through the installation of tube wells.
With easy access to clean water, students of Keeragala Tamil Vidyalam will now benefit from improved hygiene and sanitation, resulting in an overall improvement in their well-being.
‘Water for Life’ strives to raise awareness on water scarcity and supports campaigns for conservation of natural water resources and efficient water management.