Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement celebrates 65th anniversary

The Lanka Jathika Sarvodaya Shramadana Sangamaya, Sri Lanka’s largest and most widely established community development organization celebrated its 65th anniversary on December 7, 2023. Numerous celebrations were organized at all District Centres, including the Sarvodaya Headquarters at Rawatawatta – Moratuwa with diverse Sarvodaya stakeholders and communities. 

In 1958, Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne, along with a group of student volunteers from Nalanda College, Colombo, initiated an immersive educations programme to develop an impoverished and marginalised village in the Kurunegala District marking its first Shramadana. Since then, the Sarvodaya Movement has provided diverse humanitarian services to more than 15,000 villages across the island. Sarvodaya currently rollout diverse programmes to promote economic, social, spiritual, and community development programmes with an approach that promotes self-help. 

Marking 65 years in community development, Sarvodaya has introduced a latest National initiative coined as ‘Artha Dharma’ which aims to establish a comprehensive and interconnected transformative framework for economic, social, and governance progress and presents a development framework for the country with a built-in strategic approach to promote holistic community development.  

“Awakening Humanity – Transforming Community,” will be the theme for the 65th Anniversary year as Sarvodaya symbolizes its fundamental purpose of awakening from the individual level to the global level. With the aspiration of promoting arts and culture a musical concert, titled ‘Mandahasini’ was successfully held on 07th of December 2023 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, Colombo (BMICH). It was graced by famous Sri Lankan musicians and artists. The proceeds of the concert will be allocated to initiate a novel entrepreneurship fund under Artha Dharma to uplift and empower small and medium scale entrepreneurs at the community level. The Anniversary year will bring about multiple programmes and activities to enhance and promote humanitarian endeavours that would bring about essential transformation to individuals and communities. 

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