Forging ahead in its mission to make the world a safer place for children, Baby Cheramy is partnering with the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians to educate parents on prevention of home accidents, a major cause of child injuries in Sri Lanka. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was inked on 7^th November 2023, to cement this collaboration to uplift awareness on child safety. On the occasion, a Parental Guide booklet was also launched, authored by Prof. Manori Gamage, Professor in Paediatrics, and Dr. Kalyani Guruge, Consultant Paediatrician, on how to prevent home accidents to keep children safe. Developed in a highly informational easy to understand style,and written in  child-friendly language with eye-catching poems and drawings, the booklet has the endorsement of the National Children’s Secretariat of the Ministry of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment.

Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians, the premier professional and academic college and the leading voice involved with child healthcare, along with Baby Cheramy  the  most loved Baby Care brand in the country,  has continuously engaged in educational initiatives to uplift child safety in Sri Lanka and together takes this step once more for the benefit of parents and children across the country. Baby Cheramy is putting its brand purpose of “creating a safer world for our babies” into action by ensuring child safety education among parents and other key stakeholders to empower them with the essential knowledge necessary to protect their children from accidents.

Commenting on the initiative, Shiyan Jayaweera, Director Marketing at Hemas Consumer Brands, commented, “As the leading baby care brand, Baby Cheramy is happy to partner with the                Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians to address the pressing issue of child accidents in order to make a positive impact on our nation’s future. Collaborating with child health safety experts will help take our message to more people and help keep children safe, a philosophy that is central to Baby Cheramy.”

Preventable child accidents continue to cause injury and death among children. Every year, 269,000 children in Sri Lanka are hospitalized due to accidents. A majority of these accidents happen in the home environment but can be prevented by taking the correct precautions. 

Commenting on what motivated the booklet, Dr. Kalyani Guruge said, “The ‘Home is the Castle & Fortress against injury and violence’ is a popular quote. According to statistics published on injuries, the home is the most common place where young children get injured. Kids explore, have adventures, have fun and play, and in the process are more likely to get injured. When Baby Cheramy, which is part of the Hemas Group, invited me to write a booklet on home injuries, I was delighted to accept. I invited Prof. Manori Gamage to partner with me as I know her as a poet. The book is a reflection of our experience gained in the hospitals of attending to kids who present with injuries. Accidents are predictable; a few seconds of inattention can lead to disaster. Foreseeing how home injuries could happen is the best way to prevent them. Both of us believe that this booklet would be helpful to parents, teachers and children to lead a happy life without injuries.”

Mr. Chandana Wijewardena, Deputy Director National Secretariat for Early Childhood Development Ministry of Women Child Affairs & Social Empowerment added: “This book is crafted with the primary aim of accident prevention. I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians for their generous resource support, and I commend Hemas Consumer Brands for their proactive role in spearheading this effort. The National Secretariat for Early Childhood Development is happy to collaborate in this endeavour.”

As phase one, Baby Cheramy is planning to introduce 100,000 booklets to households within the next 12 months. This also includes E-copies which will be shared by leveraging on several platforms including the Baby Cheramy website and Facebook page, and via a QR code that will be printed on Baby Cheramy packs for parents to scan and download. The booklet will be introduced with the help of the National Secretariat for Early Childhood Development and the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs.

Baby Cheramy’s dedication to create a safer world for babies is evident in its past projects which include educational initiatives tailored for expectant mothers and fathers, staunch advocacy of inclusive parenting and the holistic development of children, creating and disseminating informative parental guide booklets, and regularly engaging in expert-led educational Q&A sessions through digital media platforms.

As the leading and most loved baby care brand in Sri Lanka, Baby Cheramy upholds a legacy spanning over 60 years of creating a safer world for children.