Crown & Champa Resorts donate USD 10,001 to Sri Lanka during telethon

Crown & Champa Resorts has donated USD 10,001 to Sri Lanka during the telethon held to raise funds for the victims of Cyclone Ditwah.

The telethon, ‘Ceylon aa eku Dhivehin’, translated to Maldivians with Sri Lankans, is organized by Maldivian media in an initiative headed by state media, Public Service Media (PSM). The telethon will run 9:00am to 1:00am.

MVR 725,626.54 has been raised for Sri Lanka via the telethon so far.

While Sun Siyam Media (SS Media) is also participating in the telethon, its outlets SSTV and Sun Online will cover the event, with SSTV broadcasting the event live and Sun Online publishing ongoing updates.

According to PSM, it has executed an agreement with Crowe Maldives, an independent audit firm, to manage the donations received through the telethon.

Donations can be made both in person and online under a telethon. They include:

• Maldivian Rufiyaa account number: 7730000796107

Account name: Ceylon aa eku Dhivehin

• US Dollar account number: 7730000796106

Account name: Ceylon aa eku Dhivehin

• Scanning QR code on TV screen
• Fund box at PSM
• Fund boxes across various areas in Male’ and Hulhumale’

Government offices, private and public companies, and organizations have been invited to participate in the telethon. 

Cyclone Ditwah has already caused widespread devastation in Sri Lanka. The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) reported that the death toll has risen to 159, with over 200 people still missing following landslides and floods triggered by torrential rains. More than 78,000 people have been displaced and moved to state-run welfare centres, while 20,000 homes have been damaged. About a third of the country is without electricity or running water. 

Sri Lanka’s government has declared a state of emergency to expedite disaster response, including seeking international help. Evacuation orders are in place in some areas as water levels of the Kelani River continue to rise rapidly. 

The cyclone, which formed to the west of the Bay of Bengal, passed over Sri Lanka on Saturday and is now heading toward the southern coasts of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Andhra Pradesh. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for several coastal districts in Tamil Nadu, along with orange alerts for Puducherry, Karaikal, and nearby areas of Andhra Pradesh.