IMPACT
Family business serving humanity through kindness to People & Nature
Tea with Integrity, made with Kindness to people and nature without ever compromising Quality.
He named his tea after his sons and travelled the world inviting people, to “Do try it!”.
He gave hope to producers around the world and as God blessed him with success, he fulfilled his promise of kindness.
At the time of his passing, his Dilmah Tea had generated over Rs. 7 billion of humanitarian aid for education, livelihoods, people with disability, less fortunate women, children and youth.
MJF Charitable Foundation
The Merrill J. Fernando Foundation was formed to fulfill our Founder’s desire to make his business a matter of human service. One of the region’s largest private charitable Foundations, it focuses on directly, efficiently and effectively delivering transformational impact to less fortunate communities, differently abled children and youth, while empowering women, youth and men with dignity through free education, vocational training, entrepreneurship, nutrition, provision of medical infrastructure, caring for the elderly and advocacy. Together with Dilmah Conservation the MJF Foundation connects with our belief that success is a blessing that must be shared. Merrill J. Fernando disrupted a tea industry that was captive to a colonial economic system. He devoted his life to tea, and overcame the obstacles to realizing his dream of a genuinely ethical tea, with faith in God and His Grace. A minimum 15% of the pretax profits of Dilmah Tea and our associate businesses funds the work of the Foundation.
In the past decade, we’ve invested
7
billion rupees towards bringing kindness to both humanity and nature.
Over 6600 + children from less fortunate communities strengthened in child development programmes on our tea gardens
2000+ Entrepreneurs created through Small Entrepreneur Programme
240 Individuals supported through community-based organizations
Changing Lives
Empowering 1400+ women with dignity
At the Diriya Centre ,
350 women are being empowered with new skills for employment, entrepreneurship , and achieving financial independence.
Rasika Nilanthi, President of the Walawa Kantha Ekamuthuwa
Samantha Rajapakshe, President of the Gami Aruna
3500 boys and girls from less fortunate plantation and rural communities strengthened with educational support through our MJF Kids programme
MJF kids programme now operates in 10 centres around the island , supporting children from troubled social backgrounds
MJF kids annual concert at the Cape Weligama
MJF Kids at the Pelmadulla Centre
Anjali Aham
a new study space for kids in Point Pedro, with an investment of 12 million rupees
Aruna
A community-based organization empowering farmers in cultivation and selfemployment
Sada Sarana
Home for the elders .
A loving home for more than 50 women with no support in their final years.
Gami
New 90-bed ward block valued at 110 million rupees funded by Dilmah Founder Merrill J. Fernando and friends Ian & Barbara Karan was donated to the
Point Pedro Hospital
Construction of a fully equipped Outpatient and Administration unit for the Kayts Base Hospital with an investment of 65 million rupees
Dilmah and Kahawatte Plantations donated a High Dependency Care Unit to Nawalapitiya Hospital in 2021
Uplifting healthcare facilities for 50,000+ individuals across Sri Lanka
High Dependency Care Facility was inaugurated at the, Nawalapitiya District General Hospital
Through the 1990 Suwa Seriya Service, 07 ambulances are strategically stationed nationwide, to provide free pre-hospital emergency care, encompassing the Central and Sabaragamuwa plantations, the North and Eastern provinces, as well as Colombo North, with an annual expenditure of 35 million rupees
In partnership with the Indira Cancer Trust, we have contributed 60 million to fully fund an entire floor of the Suwa Arana Pediatric Palliative Care Centre to offer cost-free support to children battling cancer.
Donated equipment valued at 64 million rupees strengthening the healthcare sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dry rations to over 72,000 households including families of the staff in Peliyagoda, plantations and general public during the Covid-19 pandemic.
MJF East Centre manger Mark Patterson distributing dry rations
Meeting the needs & demands of over 15,000 families through updated infrastructure & facilities
Plantation Communities
Restored 84 Child Development Centres for the welfare of over 6,600
Children in tea gardens
MJF Child Development Centre at Kataboola Estate
Construction of 150 toilets and field restrooms to upgrade sanitation facilities of plantation workers.
Introducing ergonomic baskets to improve the physical support of our tea harvesters.
49 Families in plantations supported with new housing facilities with an investment of 66 million rupees
554 children supported through MJF Scholarship Programme 309 students entered universities
Nearly 250 young chefs trained from Dilmah’s Empower schools in the East and the West
MJF Charitable Foundation and Cricket Live (CLF) New Zealand has enriched the lives of over 1000 boys & girls in Sri Lanka
Youth
Stephen Fleming and Former Minister of Primary Industries of New Zealand Nathan Guy
Vocational training provided for nearly 7000 youth in carpentry, dress making, IT and Graphics
Dinesh from the Kahawatte Estate a graduate from ECHS, represented Sri Lanka at the Bocuse d’Or Regional Challenge
Dr K Kanageswari, MJF scholarship recipient from Dunsinnane
For over two decades, we have collaborated with Aidex to create a platform empowering individuals with different abilities to pursue their aspirations and enjoy moments of joy.
Celebrating Differences
disABILITY YouTube Channel & App
- Sri Lanka’s only trilingual channel on disability to support special needs children and their families
Supporting 3500 + differently abled children with therapy and education
9700 – 9850
Children have benefitted through the distribution of school bags and other accessories .
Launch of a new cashew processing facility at MJF Centre East, to empower marginalized communities with new skills & livelihood support
Dilmah founder inspecting the cashew processing facility
Over 5100 students trained in Information Technology through Curtiss Institute at MJF Charitable Foundation.
1325 kids from 6 months to 5 years in 84 Child Development Centres (CDC) were provided with daily meals
Empowering over 150 small entrepreneurs from across Sri Lanka to showcase their products and services at the
People’s Market
Dilmah pledges to be Carbon Negative by 2030 (Zero emissions for the entire manufacturing process)
2017: Peliyagoda factory and head office certified as Carbon Neutral
ISO 14064-1: 2006
2018: Dilmah achieves carbon neutrality for all products and factories
ISO 14064-1: 2006
2019: Dilmah achieves carbon neutrality for the facility and all products up to Australia shelf
ISO 14067: 2018
ISO 14064-1: 2018
2020: Dilmah achieves carbon neutrality for the event School of Tea
2020: Dilmah achieves carbon neutrality for the facility and all products up to the destination ports of all overseas markets
ISO 14067: 2018
ISO 14064-1: 2018
2020: Carbon Footprint Calculation mode was digitised
Dilmah Conservation
“We have only one planet, it is important that we do not only take out what we can, but we must put back more than what we take.”
MERRILL J FERNANDO Founder of Dilmah Tea
Planted 1,000,000 cashew trees in the East benefiting over 12,000 cashew growers Generating 814.8MwH of Hydropower
Sri Lanka’s first climate change research station initiated and managed by a corporate
04 solar power plants in operation at head-office
Co-founded Biodiversity
Sri Lanka to foster strong engagement for biodiversity and environmental conservation in the corporate sector.
Signatory to the UN Global compact advocating for responsible business practices in human rights, labour, environment and accountability.
Enabling 15 Climate Change Researches at the One Earth Centre in Nawalapitiya
Sri Lanka’s first urban arboretum established by a corporate housing over 500 trees and plants
Solar power plant at Dilmah
Founded by Dilmah Founder Merrill J Fernando, to elevate the significance of nature and its ecosystem services, concurrently fostering sustainable agricultural entrepreneurship to enhance social, economic, and gender equality.
Identified untapped Sri Lankan ingredients including green jackfruit, seaweed, and Centella asiatica, and empowered manufacturing companies to enhance the production of these ingredients.
Over 20 sites were surveyed across Sri Lanka and More than 2000 specimens from 300 species of amphibians, reptiles and organisms were collected.
Supporting elephant research , improving Human-elephant conflict awareness and caring for orphaned elephants at the Dilmah funded Elephant Information Centre in Udawalawe
Model Butterfly Garden to over 1/3 of butterfly species found in Sri Lanka.
Creating an ecological wealth of US$ 382,362 through the Endana Nature Corridor
Protecting 70 km of Sri Lanka’s coastline
Empowering 75 individuals through Beach Caretaker Programme
Baby Dilmah at the Elephant Transit Home
Coastal clean up team supported by Dilmah
Played a key role in the declaration of
Kayankerni
Reef as a marine protected site
Restoring 16 acres of degraded mangrove forest at biodiversity hotspot, Anawilundawa and 26 acres of mangrove forests in Kalpitiya.
Educating over 300 individuals on beekeeping
Educating over 250 individuals daily through the Dilmah Conservation Information Centre at the Elephant Transit Home in Udawalawe
Cultivating seaweed in 10 acres of Sri Lanka’s continental shelf
Supporting Sri Lanka’s major indigenous groups
by preserving their traditional knowledge, strengthening their community and adaptation to the 21st Century.
The indigenous Veddha Community
The Ahikuntaka Community Supported the Indigenous Veddha community’s Varigasabha in 2011 and 2014
Youth performance at the first Ahikuntika community gathering in 40 years
Mentoring and empowering
16 eco-innovators through the Merrill J. Fernando Innovation Awards 2021
15 publications including field guides on Sri Lanka’s flora and fauna, and books on culture and heritage, Ayurveda, and organic home gardening
Educating over 3000 individuals annually through webinars, workshops and training programmes
02 E-certificate courses on Beekeeping and Organic Home Gardening
Over 100 e-certificate recipients
The winner of ECOVATION 2021: Team comprising Professor Rangika Halwatura and Himahansi Galkanda, affiliated to the University of Moratuwa
EXTENDING KINDNESS BEYOND SRI LANKA
In partnership with Hospice, New Zealand
Over a 16 million teabags have been donated to those in the care of the Hospice, and to their families, friends, visitors, staff and volunteers.
25 cents of every Premium Ceylon Tea 50 Tea bag pack sold through selected outlets fund families, medical equipment, clinical care, research , and trials at MyRoom Children’s Cancer Charity, Australia.
Dilmah in cooperation with the HieuVe Ttai Tim Fund in Vietnam supported children from underprivileged families suffering from heart disease.
10% of online sales in Chile contribute to the “App Edudown,” A platform for knowledge and activities that enhance early stimulation in children with Down Syndrome
Improving Life in the Plantations
Children and Youth Empowerment
Education
Reducing Inequality
Enabling the Disabled
Vocational Opportunities
disABILITY Advocacy
Improving Medical Infrastructure
COVID Response
Climate Action
Environmental Sustainability
Biodiversity Conservation
Ecosystem Restoration
Nature Education
Ocean Conservation
Corporate Advocacy
www.mjffoundation.org
Nature-based Solutions www.dilmahtea.com