Sarvodaya

06/05/2026

“Strengthening Democracy and People-Centered Development in Post-Crisis Sri Lanka”, supported by Sarvodaya USA and implemented by Deshodaya, successfully reached the targeted Sarvodaya Shramadana Societies (SSS) in the Puttalam District on 29th April 2026, as part of an island-wide community empowering dialogue.

So far, the project has covered Southern, Sabaragamuwa, and part of the North Western Provinces, empowering communities through dialogue, awareness, and active civic participation. The sessions included, engaging discussions by Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners of Provincial Local Governments, Experts on legislation and citizen education, on Economic Empowerment and the use of Technology to increase civic engagement, coordinated by the National Initiative. The Youth Empowerment Programs with the SSS will be coordinated through Shanthi Sena, fostering the next generation of active community leaders.

සර්වෝදය -ඇමරිකා එක්සත් ජනපදය විසින් සහාය දක්වන "පශ්චාත් අර්බුදකාරී ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ප්‍රජාතන්ත්‍රවාදය සහ ජනතාව කේන්ද්‍ර කරගත් සංවර්ධනය ශක්තිමත් කිරීම" යන නව ව්‍යාපෘතිය, දේශෝදය ජාතික සභාව විසින් ක්‍රියාත්මක කරනු ලබන අතර, එම ක්‍රියාකාරීත්වයේ තවත් අවස්ථාවක් 2026 අප්‍රේල් 29 වන දින පුත්තලම දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ ඉලක්ක කරගත් සර්වෝදය ශ්‍රමදාන සමිති සමගින් සිදුවින. මෙමගින් පළාත් පාලනය හා ජනතා කේන්ද්‍රීය සංවර්ධනයේදී මහජන සහභාගීත්වය හා හවුල්කාරීත්වය පිළිබද ඔවුන්ගේ ධාරිතාව ඉහල නැංවීම, දකුණු, සබරගමුව සහ වයඹ පළාත්වල කොටසක් ආවරණය කිරීමට අපට හැකි විය.

පළාත් පළාත් පාලන කොමසාරිස්වරුන්, නීති සම්පාදනය සහ පුරවැසි අධ්‍යාපනය පිළිබඳ විශේෂඥයින් විසින් පවත්වන ලද සාකච්ඡා සහ අර්ථ ධර්ම ජාතික මෙහෙවර මගින් සම්බන්ධීකරණය කරන ලද සිවිල් සහභාගීත්වය වැඩි කිරීම සඳහා ආර්ථික බලගැන්වීම සහ තාක්ෂණය භාවිතා කිරීම, සැසිවාරවලට ඇතුළත් විය. මේ යටතේ, සර්වෝදය ශ්‍රමදාන සමීති සමඟ තරුණ බලගැන්වීමේ වැඩසටහන් ද සර්වෝදය ශාන්ති සේනා හරහා නුදුරේම සම්බන්ධීකරණය කෙරේ.

01/05/2026

Today, on International Labour Day, we honor the strength, dedication, and resilience of every worker who contributes to building a better society.

At Sarvodaya, we believe that true development begins with empowering people and recognizing the dignity of labour. From the hands that cultivate our land to the minds that innovate and lead change, every effort matters.

Let us continue to stand together in solidarity, uplift one another, and work towards a future rooted in equity, compassion, and shared progress.

Happy International Labour Day!

28/04/2026

As part of the Health Systems Review Mission, key civil society organizations engaged in the health sector and policy dialogue came together to reflect on the role of community engagement in strengthening Sri Lanka’s health system.

Shramadana Movement was pleased to contribute to this important discussion. The dialogue brought forward insights from civil society on community-level gaps and challenges, while also highlighting the potential for community-based organizations and volunteers to play a more active role in strengthening Primary Health Care (PHC). Particular attention was given to supporting services delivered through Arogya Wellness Centres and enhancing their connection with communities.

The discussion reaffirmed that effective health system strengthening requires meaningful community participation, grounded in local realities and supported by collaborative action between institutions and communities. Insights from this engagement will contribute to informing the mission’s recommendations to the Ministry of Health, towards building a more responsive, inclusive, and people-centered health system in Sri Lanka.

Photo Credit - WHO Sri Lanka

27/04/2026

වසත් උදානය 2026 "එකමුතුකමින් බැඳෙන සර්වෝදය අවුරුද්ද"

අවුරුදු උදානය 2026 අප්‍රේල් මස 23 දින සර්වෝදය මූලස්ථාන පරිශ්‍රයේදී සංවිධානය කෙරිණි. සර්වෝදය පවු‍ලේ මෑණියන්, ගරු නීතා ආරියරත්න මැතිණිය ප්‍රමුඛ වැඩිහිටියන් ගේ සහභාගිත්වයෙන් උත්සවය සමාරම්භය සනිටුහන් විය. කිරි ඉතිරවීමෙන් හා කැවිලි මේසය අලෙවි කිරීම වැනි හෙළ සාම්ප්‍රදායික කටයුතු සිදු කිරීමෙන් අනතුරුව සර්වෝදය වසත් උදානය 2026 අවුරුදු උදානයේ ආරම්භ කෙරිණි.

දිනය පුරා විනෝදජනක සහ සැමට එක්ව සහභාගී විය හැකි අවුරුදු තරඟ රැසකින් යුක්තව සංවිධානය කර තිබුණු මෙම වසත් උදානය 2026 සඳහා සර්වෝදය මූලස්ථානයේ කාර්ය මණ්ඩලය සහ ස්වාධීන අංශයන්ගේ කාර්ය මණ්ඩලයන්, ඔවුන්ගේ පවුල්වල සාමාජිකයින්, සර්වෝදය දිස්ත්‍රික් කාර්ය මණ්ඩලය සහ කුඩා දරු දැරියන් රැසක්ද සහභාගි විය. සියල්ලන්ම දිනය පුරා පැවති තරඟ සඳහා එක්ව සහභාගි වෙමින් සතුටු වූ අතර ජයග්‍රාහකයින්ට ත්‍යාග ප්‍රදානය කිරීමද මෙහිදී සිදුවිණි.

මෙවර "වසත් උදානය 2026" එකමුතුකමෙන් බැඳෙන සර්වෝදය අවුරුද්ද, සර්වෝදය තරුණ හමුව විසින් සංවිධානය කළ අතර, එය දිනය පුරා සාර්ථකව පවත්වා අවසන් කිරීමට ඔවුන්ට හැකියාව උදාවිය.

வசந்த உதானய 2026 “ஒற்றுமையால் இணையும் சர்வோதய புத்தாண்டு” என்ற தலைப்பில், 2026 ஏப்ரல் 23 ஆம் திகதி சர்வோதய தலைமையக வளாகத்தில் சிறப்பாக நடைபெற்றது.

இந்நிகழ்வின் பிரதான சிறப்பு விருந்தினராக நீதா ஆரியரத்ன அவர்கள் கலந்து கொண்டார். அவரை முன்னிலையாகக் கொண்டு, மற்ற சிறப்பு விருந்தினர்களின் பங்கேற்புடன் விழா ஆரம்பிக்கப்பட்டது.

பால் பொங்கி பாரம்பரிய இனிப்பு உணவுகள் விற்பனை போன்ற சிங்கள மரபு நிகழ்வுகள் நடைபெற்றதன் பின்னர், சர்வோதய வசந்த உதானய 2026 புத்தாண்டு விழா ஆரம்பமானது .

முழு நாளும் அனைவரும் இணைந்து கலந்து கொள்ளக்கூடிய பல்வேறு மகிழ்ச்சியானா புத்தாண்டு போட்டிகளுடன் இந்நிகழ்ச்சி ஏற்பாடு செய்யப்பட்டிருந்தது. இதில் சர்வோதய தலைமையக பணியாளர்கள், சுயாதீன பிரிவுகளின் பணியாளர்கள், அவர்களது குடும்பத்தினர், சர்வோதய மாவட்ட பணியாளர்கள் மற்றும் பல சிறுவர் சிறுமியரும் கலந்து கொண்டனர்.

நாள் முழுவதும் நடைபெற்ற போட்டிகளில் அனைவரும் ஆர்வத்துடன் கலந்து கொண்டு மகிழ்ந்தனர். மேலும் வெற்றியாளர்களுக்கு பரிசுகளும் வழங்கப்பட்டன.

இவ்வாண்டின் “வசந்த உதானய 2026 – ஒற்றுமையால் இணையும் சர்வோதய புத்தாண்டு” நிகழ்வை சர்வோதய இளைஞர் சங்கம் ஏற்பாடு செய்திருந்தது. நாள் முழுவதும் உற்சாகமும் மகிழ்ச்சியும் நிறைந்த சூழலில் நிகழ்ச்சிகள் வெற்றிகரமாக முன்னெடுக்கப்பட்டு சிறப்பாக நிறைவு பெற்றன.

16/04/2026

සැමගේ උදාවක් විශ්වයට දායාද කළ උදාර යුගපුරුෂයාණන්ගේ දෙවර්ෂ පූර්ණ සැමරුම

2026.04.16 වන අදට යෙදෙන දෙවන ගුණානුස්මරණ සැමරුමේදී, අනුකම්පාව, එකමුතුකම සහ පරාර්ථකාමී සේවය තුළින් මනුෂ්‍යත්වය නඟා සිටුවීම උදෙසා තම දිවියම කැප කළ දූරදර්ශී යුගපුරුෂයාණන්, සර්වෝදය නිර්මාතෘ ආචාර්ය ඒ. ටී. ආරියරත්න මැතිඳුන්ගේ සේවය අප ගෞරවනීයත්වයෙන් අගයමු. එතුමන් බලගැන්වූ හා ආභාශය ලබාදුන් සියල්ල අපගේ හදවත් තුළ අද මෙන්ම ඉදිරියටත් ජීවමාන වනු ඇත.

සියල්ලන්ම සුවපත් කරන්නා වූ උතුම් අරමුණු පෙරදැරිව බෞද්ධ ඉගැන්වීම් හා ගාන්ධි දර්ශනය උකහා ගනිමින්, ශක්තිමත්ව පෝශණය කරන ලද එතුමන්ගේ පූර්ණ ප්‍රජා සංවර්ධන වැඩපිළිවෙල තුළින් ක්‍රියාත්මක කරන ලද සර්වෝදය පූර්ණ ප්‍රජා සංවර්ධන විප්ලවය නොපැකිලිව, තිරසාරව ඉදිරියටත් ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීමට සර්වෝදය පවුලේ අප සියල්ලන්ම කැපවී කටයුතු කරමු.

අද අපි එතුමන්ව ගෞරවයෙන් සිහිපත් කරමින්, එතුමන්ගේ මඟ ගමන් කරමින්, නිහතමානීත්වය, සියල්ලන්ට සේවය කිරීම සහ සියලු ජීවීන් කෙරෙහි වන ආදරය ඉදිරියටත් ගෙන යන්නෙමු.

ඒ අතරම, එතුමන්ගේ මඟ පෙන්වීම සහ එතුමන්ගෙන් ලද ආලෝකයට සදා කෘතඥ වන්නෙමු.

සර්වෝදය පවුලේ සැම.

Paying Gratitude to Our Founder at his 2nd Year Remembrance

Today, we pause to honour our Founder, Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne, a visionary who dedicated his life to uplifting humanity through compassion, unity, and selfless service. Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne’s legacy continues to live on in the hearts of countless communities he empowered and inspired.

His unwavering belief in collective effort, dignity, and peaceful transformation shaped a movement that transcended generations. Through his work, he reminded us that true development begins within people and grows through shared purpose.

As we remember him today, we carry forward his values of service, humility, and love for all beings.

Forever grateful for your light and guidance.

In remembrance
Sarvodaya Family

13/04/2026

10/04/2026

Dear friends of Sarvodaya,

For more than six decades, the Sarvodaya Movement has sought to nurture what my father, Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne, called “the awakening of all”—a path rooted in compassion, selfless service, and the understanding that true transformation begins within communities and radiates outward.

It is in this spirit that I would like to introduce you to the work of Richard Flyer.

Richard has been connected to Sarvodaya for over 35 years, working closely with my father and engaging deeply with the values and practices that have shaped our shared journey. Over time, he has taken many of these core principles and thoughtfully translated them into a Western, pluralistic context.

During Sri Lanka’s time of deep need in 2022, amid the national food crisis, Richard also stood with Sarvodaya in a very practical way—supporting our efforts to respond and helping strengthen the foundations of a national food banking system.

My father often spoke of Vishvodaya—a global awakening. As I read Richard’s recent book, Birthing the Symbiotic Age, I was deeply encouraged by how he has carried aspects of this vision into a different cultural setting, while remaining grounded in lived experience.

What emerges is not a replication of Sarvodaya, but something distinct—a movement he calls Symbiotic Culture—which seeks to rebuild trust, shared purpose, and community life from the ground up.

I found his reflections both familiar and fresh: familiar in their roots, and fresh in their application to the challenges facing Western societies and the whole world today.

For those of you who have walked with Sarvodaya over the years, I warmly encourage you to explore Richard’s work. It offers a thoughtful and practical expression of many of the principles we have long sought to live by, and translated into new cultural contexts and challenges.

Birthing the Symbiotic Age (Amazon):
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GGHZLQLF

With metta and appreciation,
Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne

PS. You can reach Richard directly at [email protected]

21/03/2026

14/03/2026

Strengthening Democracy and People-Centered Development in Post-Crisis Sri Lanka

Sarvodaya commenced the next phase of its Community Governance Program under Deshodaya, titled “Strengthening Democracy and People-Centered Development in Post-Crisis Sri Lanka,” with the support of Sarvodaya USA.

The first workshop of the series was successfully held on 11 March 2026 in Matara, bringing together 64 members representing around 30 Sarvodaya Societies from the Galle, Matara, and Hambantota districts, as well as Sarvodaya District Managers.

The initiative aims to strengthen democratic governance and empower grassroots communities to actively participate in shaping an accountable, transparent, and inclusive post-crisis Sri Lanka. The program also aims to engage around 250 community-based societies and approximately 300 youth through its activities.
Through this program, Sarvodaya, together with Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), will work to:

•Empower community organizations to participate in government-led development initiatives and monitor local government performance
•Promote civic education and youth leadership in democracy, anti-corruption, and rights-based development
•Create community platforms for policy dialogue between citizens and government
•Foster social cohesion and reconciliation through interfaith and inter-ethnic initiatives
•Monitor political pledges and strengthen public accountability through civil society partnerships

Highlights from the Matara Workshop

•Mr. Senaka Palliyaguru, Provincial Commissioner of Local Government in the Southern Province, made the guest speech. Mr. Palliyaguru spoke about updates in the current local governance structures and the new avenues introduced to increase civic engagement. He also shared examples of how citizens can engage in such initiatives to improve service delivery and the importance of Citizen’s updating of knowledge and awareness of their role.

•Mr. Nishantha Preethiraj, National Organiser for Deshodaya, mentioned the previous engagement in 2025 where Deshodaya engaged with 122 CBOs to improve their engagement and this will serve as an critical milestone to the previous interventions. He also emphasized the importance of continued engagement of CBOs in local governance and revitalizing Deshodaya Committees at the village level. He also highlighted the importance of Sarvodaya Shramadana Societies (SSS) integrating with key strategic activities of Sarvodaya, bringing together economic, social, and governance dimensions for holistic village development while enhancing knowledge and awareness.

•Mr. Manjula Gajanayake, Executive Director of IREX and social activist, spoke about the role of vigilant citizens in both pre- and post-conflict contexts, emphasizing the importance of observation, engagement, and positive civic influence in ensuring accountable governance and community growth. He also mentioned the current developments in governance and the importance of being part of the growing body of knowledge vital to community leaders.

•Ms. Manu Tissera, Chief Transformation Officer and Head of the Artha Dharma National Initiative, shared the journey of Sarvodaya Shramadana Societies towards realizing Gramaswaraj. She also explained how the Artha Dharma approach is implemented across the five-stage development process, highlighting the important role of the SSS in driving and sustaining economic, social, and governance initiatives at the village level, and the timeliness of using new technology and innovative entrepreneurial approaches in implementation. She further shared examples of several successful interventions that SSS can adopt to revitalize their role and strengthen community-led development.

Key Components of the Initiative

Over the next two years, the Governance program will implement several activities including:
•Continuous capacity development programs
•Establishing “People’s (Deshodaya) Councils for Accountability” at the divisional level
•Digital platforms for real-time citizen feedback and local issue reporting
•Youth forums, civic education modules, and citizen journalism training
•An annual “People’s Report Card” evaluating government delivery on public promises

This two-year initiative will be led by , in collaboration with the and Shanthi Sena – Sarvodaya Youth Wing.

10/03/2026

“Empowered Women, Stronger Economies”: Recognizing the Power of Women at International Women’s Day 2026

On 9 March 2026, Shramadana Movement, in collaboration with (WUSC), successfully hosted the International Women’s Day 2026 Celebration under the theme “Empowered Women, Stronger Economies,” at the Orchid Room, BMICH in Colombo, to celebrate and recognize 30 outstanding women entrepreneurs.

This inspiring gathering brought together women entrepreneurs from 10 districts: Galle, Kandy, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya, Colombo, Kegalle, Ratnapura, Badulla, Gampaha, and Ampara. They represented a vibrant network of over 2,000 women entrepreneurs supported by Sarvodaya over the past two years through mentoring and coaching, start-up assistance, business development support, digital skills development, market access, and networking opportunities with industry leaders, private sector actors, and development partners under the Sarvodaya Transformation Strategy – Artha Dharma.

WUSC is one of Sarvodaya’s long-standing partners and continues to support efforts to uplift rural-based entrepreneurs, focusing on upskilling women and strengthening rural economies and production systems.
The event celebrated these remarkable women who demonstrate the true spirit of entrepreneurship, contributing to their families, communities, and the wider rural economy while inspiring other women to step into entrepreneurial spaces and become leaders of change.

The event also recognized the invaluable support of partners and experts who help strengthen women’s entrepreneurship, including WUSC, The Asia Foundation, the Family Planning Association, and experts in entrepreneurship, psychosocial support, and finance.

Dr. Prabashini Wijewantha, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, attended as the Guest of Honour and delivered an inspiring address on “What Constitutes a Modern Woman Entrepreneur.” She commended Sarvodaya for its invaluable support and recognized the untiring strength of women entrepreneurs who take on the challenge of entrepreneurship while balancing personal, family, and social responsibilities. She emphasized the importance of caring for oneself as an entrepreneur, highlighting the need for continuous learning, knowledge development, and self-care to sustain both personal wellbeing and entrepreneurial success.

Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne, President of the Sarvodaya Movement, delivered the keynote address and shared Sarvodaya’s vision for women-led community entrepreneurship, highlighting the significant entrepreneurial role women have played throughout Sarvodaya’s journey, particularly in establishing community-based social enterprises that contribute to community wellbeing and inclusive economic growth. He commended the dedication and leadership of women entrepreneurs and emphasized the importance of integrating health, wellbeing, and community values into economic empowerment initiatives. He further noted that this vision continues to be strengthened and carried forward through the Artha Dharma National Initiative.

Ms. Manu Tissera, Chief Transformation Officer and Head of the Artha Dharma National Secretariat at Sarvodaya, provided the context for the program, highlighting the broader Sarvodaya women entrepreneur network and commending the resilience of women entrepreneurs who continue to persevere despite social and economic challenges and the careful journey through the last 2 years. She emphasized the importance of supporting women not only with entrepreneurial skills but also with life skills, health awareness, lifestyle practices, and mental wellbeing.

Mr. Ranga Pathirana, Senior Manager at Sampath Bank, shared insights on the fruitful partnership with Sarvodaya’s initiatives, including the Sarvodaya online store, and efforts to address financial inclusion challenges within communities, particularly for women entrepreneurs.

Experts also facilitated the EmpowerHer Action Corners, which provided practical guidance on small business development, financial literacy, mentoring, mental wellness, and health and wellbeing. The expert panel included:

• Mr. Dinusha Rajapathirana, CEO, SABAH Association
• Ms. Gimhani Gunawardena, Psychological Counsellor
• Ms. Niluka Wickremasinghe, The Asia Foundation
• Ms. Badra Udawatta, SRH Advisor, Family Planning Association
• Ms. Piyumi Ranasinghe, Founder & Designer, Mika’s Inspirations

The celebration concluded with vibrant networking and a women entrepreneurs’ marketplace, creating opportunities for collaboration, learning, and growth.
Together, we reaffirm our commitment to empowering women, strengthening communities, and building stronger economies.

02/03/2026

Gold Medal for a Lifetime of Commitment to Population Studies and National Development

Sarvodaya Movement is proud to announce that our Honorary President, Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne, was awarded a Gold Medal for a Lifetime of Commitment to Population Studies and National Development at the Annual Population Conference on 28th February in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Sri Lanka and to the field of population studies.

We are delighted by this outstanding national recognition which will further strengthen both his individual leadership and collective efforts in working alongside colleagues, researchers, institutions, and communities toward building a more just and resilient Sri Lanka

Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne was a founding member of the Population Association of Sri Lanka (PASL) and served on the Editorial Committee of the Sri Lanka Journal of Population Studies (SLJPS).

Population studies intersect deeply with demography, public health, social equity, education, livelihoods, and sustainable development areas that are central to Sarvodaya’s mission of people-centered national development. Advancing evidence-based research and policy dialogue in these fields remains vital to shaping inclusive and forward-looking national policies.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the Council of the Population Association of Sri Lanka for this meaningful recognition.