Hambantota Port breaks ground for ‘Hope Village’ in Kandagasmankada

CEO of HIPG Johnson Liu, with Ambassador Qi Zhenhong and representatives of the Nirmala Foundation presenting the sponsorship

The Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) marked the symbolic beginning of their flagship community development project, ‘Hope Village.’ 

The venture has a budget of over Rs. 60 million, and in its initial stage will include a community centre, health centre, agriculture centre, and playground facilities. 

This will be in addition to the financial assistance extended to the village temple in Kandagasmankada, located in the Lunugamwehera Division of the Hambantota District.

Ambassador for China to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong graced the occasion as chief guest at the foundation laying ceremony held at the project site. 

The management team of the Hambantota InternationalPort, representatives of Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT) and the Nirmala Foundation also participated in the event.  Galapitagala Premarathana Thero, Chief Incumbent of the Kandagasmankada Rajamaha Viharaya; Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong; Johnson Liu, CEO HIPG; Jack Huang, CEO CICT; Tissa Wickramasinghe, COO HIPG; Raymond Mu, CFO HIPG; Ravi Jayawickreme, CEO HIPS; representatives from Divisional and District Secretariats; C. Wickramaratne, OIC Lunugamwehera Police Station, along with senior staff of HIPG and residents of the village took part in breaking ground at the site, to lay the foundation for the project.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Qi Zhenhong said, “The friendship between China and Sri Lanka dates back over twenty centuries. It is deeply rooted in the hearts of the two nations no matter how the domestic and international situation changes.”

“China and Sri Lanka have been helping each other during difficult times and China will continue to do so in the future. In addition, China wishes to assist Sri Lanka in poverty alleviation. 

The Hope Village initiative towards uplifting the wellbeing of villagers will be successful with a mutually beneficial partnership,” he added.

 The ambassador presented the IT Lab of the village community centre, which will be named ‘China Sri Lanka Friendship IT Education Centre,’ with preliminary IT equipment, was a highlight of the event. 
He also distributed toys amongst the village kids. In addition to the Hope Village sponsorship, the HIPG and CICT teams made a cash donation to the village temple.

 The ‘Hope Village’ concept, a development model village that will benefit marginalised communities, is a collaboration between China Merchant Foundation (CMF) the CSR arm of the China Merchant Group, and the Nirmala Foundation, a non profit organisation working for positive change.  

CMF is the sponsor of the project which will be owned by the Nirmala Foundation, and monitored by the Divisional Secretariat of Lunugamwehera. HIPG and CICT teams are the facilitators of the project.
 “I always believe it is our duty to look into our immediate neighbourhood at both micro and macro levels to see how we could be of service. 

Our aim is to develop the ‘Hope Village’ concept into a desirable residential level with fully-fledged facilities and help villagers develop their livelihoods under a cooperative model,” said Johnson Liu, CEO of HIPG and the representative of the China Merchants Group.

The purpose of the project is to uplift the rural community and improve living conditions of people in the area. While being mission driven to become a customer-centric seaport and a platform for business excellence, the management ofHIP said it is pleased to connect its business success with the local community.