Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement
Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement wiki
"The Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement is a family of non-government, non-profit organizations which began in the country of Sri Lanka in 1958. The movement was founded by a high school teacher, A.T. Ariyaratne, who has since won international recognition ranging from the Gandhi and Niwano Peace Prizes to the Magsaysay and Hubert Humphrey Awards. Sarvodaya activities involve millions of people in close to 15,000 villages. Its reputation has grown out of a holistic, integrated approach to personal, family, village and national development over nearly five decades." [1]
"Sarvodaya is a Sri Lankan organization developed around a set of coherent philosophical tenets drawn from Buddhism and Gandhian thought. It has been operational for almost 50 years. Today Sarvodaya is Sri Lanka's largest and most broadly embedded people's organization, with a network covering 15,000 villages, 345 divisional units, 34 district offices, 10 specialist Development Education Institutes; over 100,000 youth mobilized for peace building under Shantisena; the country's largest micro-credit organization with a cumulative loan portfolio of over LKR one billion (Sarvodaya Economic Enterprise Development Services, or SEEDS); a major welfare service organization serving over 1000 orphaned and destitute children, underage mothers, and elders (Sarvodaya Suwa Setha); and 4,335 pre-schools serving over 98,000 children; among others." [2]
- Vinya Ariyaratne - Executive Director