DFCC Bank, the premier commercial bank in Sri Lanka, reaffirmed its continued excellence as the ‘Bank for Everyone’, by clinching two prestigious accolades at the annual awards ceremony of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific, presented at the 43rd ADFIAP Annual Meeting which was held virtually due to the ongoing pandemic.
In the 2020 edition of the event, DFCC Bank clinched two Merit Accolades under the Outstanding Development Project Awards. The first one was under Category, Human Capital Development, for its project “Together We Grow”, as well as another under Category, Corporate Social Responsibility, for its project, “Samata English”.
The ADFIAP Awards Program was initiated in 1997 when ADFIAP hosted the “Summit on Development Finance” in Manila, which has since become a permanent ‘fixture’ in the association calendar. The ADFIAP “Outstanding Development Project Awards” recognizes and honors member-institutes who have undertaken and/or assisted projects that have created a development impact in their respective countries.
The ‘Samata English’ initiative was a landmark project initiated in 2017 by DFCC Bank , to identify youth in need, and design a program to improve their English language skills to enable them to enter the workforce. The program consisted of practical activities, presentations, skills development and free tutorials in classrooms with modern facilities. Inaugurated in the Gampaha and Kalutara districts as a pilot, the project later extended in 2018 to Kurunegala, Kandy and Galle, while in 2019 saw the project further expand to Jaffna, Polonnaruwa, Rathnapura and Ampara.
Likewise, the ‘Together We Grow’ initiative was an ambitious effort by DFCC Bank, that set out to shift the collective thoughts of employees through the development of a mind set centered on teams, whilst building a ‘never say never’ attitude when faced with bottlenecks and issues that spur up in their daily lives. This vision was driven with the support of volunteers at the Bank, who were committed to creating a positive, productive and pleasant work culture where the staff feel taken care of and appreciated.
Commenting on this recognition, DFCC Bank CEO Lakshman Silva said, “We are delighted about the accolades that DFCC Bank has received, and are grateful for the ADFIAP for recognizing two vital projects that we initiated for the betterment of the society and our workforce. DFCC Bank has always been at the forefront of going above and beyond to explore avenues that can create value addition to our stakeholders. The ‘Samata English’ program has now ensured that a wide array of students enter their desired job markets equipped with enhanced speaking skills and confidence. Similarly, the ‘Together We Grow’ concept promotes development of the highest standard within the DFCC workforce, which inadvertently builds a positive work culture that gives employees the pride to be a part of DFCC Bank. While we thank the jury at ADFIAP again for the recognition of our efforts, I would like to dedicate these awards to the staff of DFCC who work tirelessly to strive for excellence.”
