Corporate Social Responsibility
Promoting sustainable development at United Motors meant integrating sustainable practices across all aspects of our business, broadly categorized under economic, environmental and social pillars.
Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we continue to promote gender equality, sustainable development and climate action, offsetting our carbon footprint as one of the largest private-sector contributors to the national grid through rooftop solar, among other initiatives.
Anchored to a business model of long-term value creation for all stakeholders, we carefully balance their concerns with our resources, strengths and expertise, exploring our own potential to make a lasting difference in the world.
At United Motors, we continue to make a conscious effort to allocate our resources efficiently, to ensure that we sustainably maximize long-term value for both our internal and external stakeholders.
As a responsible corporate citizen, we hold ourselves socially accountable to address the most pressing needs of the communities in which we operate. Over the years we have identified the areas of child healthcare and youth education to invest in and improve, in our belief that a healthy and knowledgeable generation is the nation’s hope for a better future, and key to its advancement.
Our employees are afforded the opportunity to contribute as members of the dedicated voluntary cross-functional Corporate Social Responsibility Team. We continue to plan and implement initiatives that enhance the quality of children’s lives and our communities.
We are driven by our commitment to address the healthcare and educational needs of our children; two focus areas that we hold ourselves accountable for improving as responsible corporate citizens.
Recognising academic excellence
Experts in the academia believe that students are encouraged to perform better when they anticipate a reward for their efforts. Accordingly, the Company continued its focus on rewarding academic excellence at the secondary level of educational with scholarships provided to children of employees who excelled in the Grade 5, O/Level and A/Level examinations. A special felicitation ceremony was organised to present the awards.
Additionally, the Company provides the children of employees with gift vouchers in December each year to encourage them to
pursue their education to higher levels.
At the heart of hope
The Company continues to focus on paediatric care by sponsoring children from an impoverished family for congenital heart surgery. All surgeries conducted over the years have proved successful and have given these families new hope for the future.
About 0.6% - 0.8% of babies born throughout the world suffer from congenital heart defects, which is a term commonly used to describe abnormalities in the structure of the heart. The condition is often hereditary and present from birth. Signs and symptoms vary with the defect and could range from damage to the walls and arteries, to malfunctions in the valves and veins of the heart. In Sri Lanka alone, 2,500 to 3,000 babies are born with congenital heart defects each year, but surgery is expensive and beyond the reach of the poor, the average cost of surgery varying from between Rs. 500,000 and Rs. 700,000. Although the operation is available free of charge in several state-run hospitals, the long waiting list dictates that several children will die in the first year of their lives while awaiting their turn for this essential surgery. UML has stepped in to meet this need, but due to the high cost of the surgery and associated expenses, has introduced a careful process of selection to identify the child/ children for sponsorship.
