Ford Motor Company, together with its local partner Future Automobiles, today awarded a US$20,000 (approximately 2,607,000LKR) grant to the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL), the 2014 Ford Conservation and Environmental Grants Programme recipient in Sri Lanka.

The environmental grant will allow FOGSL to facilitate the promotion of the study of birds, or ornithology, and environmental conservation and social interactions in Sri Lanka.

The winning project from FOGSL is entitled ‘Exemplary Citizens through Conservation – Creating Ambassadors of Peace and Reconciliation’.

The programme will link communities and students to achieve reconciliation through nature studies, using the study of birds as a focal point. It is also an extension of the FOGSL’s previous programmes, implemented in the South and North of Sri Lanka, aimed at lessening tensions that prevailed in the country for more than 30 years.

“The Field Ornithology Group’s proposal was unique – and demonstrated a genuine commitment to environmental conservation while helping to acquaint or reacquaint people in local communities with the natural beauty of their own country and each other,” said David Westerman, Managing Director, Asia Pacific Emerging Markets, Ford Motor Company.

The project’s objective is to create “exemplary citizens” to act as environmental ambassadors, promoting conservation awareness and acting as mediators for peace and reconciliation. The programme will be conducted through a series of workshops at the Sinharaja World Heritage Site.

“We are extremely proud to be this year’s grant recipient and grateful to Ford for their support in bringing this project to life,” said Professor Sarath Kotagama, founder of FOGSL. “This funding will allow us to build on our past work and use all of our knowledge and experience to contribute to a better future for our country and its people.”

About Ford’s 2014 Conservation and Environmental Grants Programme

Since launching the global grants programme in 1983, Ford has awarded more than US$  5 million in grants to hundreds of environmental projects in 60 countries, spanning Asia Pacific, the Caribbean, Central America, the Middle East and Puerto Rico.

“Ford’s legacy of caring goes back to the company’s founding and these Grants are one of the ways we go further to help improve the environment and the lives of people in local communities,” explained Westerman.

In Asia Pacific alone, Ford has played a pivotal role in advancing environmental initiatives and the Conservation and Environmental Grants programme has become an annual event in markets ranging from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Mongolia to Tahiti and Fiji.

Ford Motor Company is dedicated to preserving the environment for future generations and providing ingenious environmental solutions that contribute to a sustainable planet. Initiatives such as Ford’s Conservation and Environmental Grants programme evidence a commitment to encourage, support and reward the actions of individuals, groups and non-profit organisations in achieving the same goal.