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Astra to empower mothers to start home baking businesses.


Colombo, 16th February 2021: In a bid to empower women and especially mothers, Astra, an iconic brand renowned across the nation, recently launched the ‘Astra diriya wanitha programme’, in collaboration with the Samurdhi programme to assist mothers to start their own home baking businesses. Accordingly, Astra has already identified a large number of women with competence, courage and willpower, in partnership with the Samurdhi Programme to provide training, knowledge and equipment to start their baking business. The objective of the programme is to enable and empower them by providing the necessary equipment and training, so that they can start or enhance their businesses.

Astra launched the programme at a formal event today at Cinnamon Grand, Colombo, along with the esteemed participation of Hon. Jagath Kumara – MP, General Secretary of the Association of Samurdhi Officers and Agricultural Research Offices. A number of stakeholders of the project including Head of Business and Customer Development Director of Upfield Sri Lanka, Anuruddha Aluvihare, Senior Country Controller of Upfield Sri Lanka, Krishan Fernando, Owner and Founder of White Flower Academy, Chef Dushanthi Madanayake among other special invitees were in attendance at the launch event.

“The COVID – 19 pandemic has created a new set of challenges to mothers, one of which is financial stability. Through this initiative, we hope to combine the decades long connection of Astra with baking and help mothers in Sri Lanka to find financial stability and support their kids and family during these trying times. Our ultimate objective aligns well with our corporate promise of contributing to provide the right nutrition and education to the future generation. Our collaboration with the Samurdhi programme allows us to identify women who need support and have the passion to initiate and continue successful home baking businesses,” commented Marketing manager for Upfield Sri Lanka, Shehani Liyanage.

Astra home baker training programme will include a comprehensive training on all aspects of cake making. Astra mission is to empower at least 01 woman/mom from each village division and thereby uplifting the living standards of 14,000 families across the country, which enables her to give better education, food & nutrients to her kids to make them healthy and happy. Previously, Astra has conducted similar initiatives in smaller scales, in Colombo and Kurunegala. However, the present initiative is the first ever large scale programme of this nature, which involves a larger number of beneficiaries and stakeholders.

Astra has been a household staple since 1966 and has a proud legacy of contributing to the awareness and improvement of child nutrition, brand ethos that stands strong for decades. As such, the ‘Astra diriya wanitha programme’ is yet another step in Astra’s involvement in raising a healthy, active and empowered next generation leaders and achievers.
“The onset of the pandemic triggered a number of daunting challenges in the society; especially families with children continue to endure economic hardships due to income loss. In this context, Astra’s endeavours to help mothers start their own businesses and earn an additional income are praiseworthy,” commented MP, Jagath Kumara.

Astra remains as a flagship food brand with a rich history of 40 years in the industry. Fortified with micronutrients for the growth and development of kids. Astra has cultivated a trusted presence among mothers as the choice of nutrition for growing children. Astra is manufactured using a state-of-the-art process that ensures it is plant-based for a sustainable future. Astra has been known and trusted for generations of mothers who have always chosen Astra as a choice for the next generation of healthy and happy kids. For more information, please log in to www.astrasrilanka.com or @AstraSriLanka Facebook page.