Selyn Foundation - old

The Selyn Socio-Economic Development Foundation, known also as the “Selyn Foundation”, is a non-profit initiative created in 2009 by Sandra Wanduragala, founder of Selyn as yet another way to empower Selyn’s network of artisans. While Selyn’s flexible working models enable our artisans to access work within their comfort zones, we are very conscious that they need to be further supported if they are to continue to stay at work. This is where the Selyn Foundation steps in and its primary mission is to implement the “Skills to Empower” program which has been carefully formulated to provide the support network for our artisans to take advantage of their financial independence. The program covers the three key areas of wellness, financial management and leadership and entrepreneurship development and is implemented on a needs basis to our entire network of artisans. A key feature of the foundation is a revolving fund which has been set up to provide low-interest loans to our network.

How Selyn began - Founded in 1991, Sandra Wanduragala (Attorney-at-Law) started Selyn in her home garage with 15 women in the village of Wanduragala in Kurunegala, Sri Lanka. Joined shortly thereafter by her brother and Managing Director, Hilary Wanduragala, Selyn now has around 1000 artisans within its networks. Sandra’s daughter and namesake, Selyna Peiris (Attorney-at-Law) has since joined the company to lead its next generation. Today Selyn is Sri Lanka’s only Fair-trade certified handicrafts company and one of its largest social enterprises.