Sarvodaya
= a movement mobilizing "mobilized a national network of thousands of self-sufficient villages" in Sri Lanka
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Description
Richard Flyer:
"Quietly and behind the scenes, a unique non-government organization called Sarvodaya has mobilized a national network of thousands of self-sufficient villages to do what “official” organizations could not.
Founded more than 60 years ago by Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne, a Gandhi follower, Sarvodaya Shramadana translates to “the Awakening of All through the sharing of energy.” The term Sarvodaya was first used by Gandhi to describe his own political philosophy: “Universal uplift.”
Since its inception, Sarvodaya has grown to include more than 15,000 villages and has energized these communities to build more than 5,000 preschools, community health centers, libraries, and cottage industries. It has also established thousands of village banks and more than 100,000 small businesses — all without any government support. Their slogan characterizes the relationship between spiritual and economic development: “We build the road, and the road builds us.”
Examples
We Are One National Food Banking System - Sri Lanka
Richard Flyer:
" a national food banking system, part of a larger food security initiative.
This food access initiative was called the We Are One Campaign. One inspiration for the effort was “the matchbox” campaign Vinya’s father Dr. Ari had initiated decades earlier. Each family, even the poorest, would fill a little matchbox with whatever rice and dal they had, and bring it to a preschool where food would be prepared and shared with all. With such radical collaboration, even the poorest were contributing and had agency, and they could see for themselves how shared food could provide enough for everyone. It also increased motivation to come to school, where the children would ultimately have a more consistent food supply.
The We Are One campaign magnified this sentiment to create nearly 150 community kitchens and 600 home gardens, while launching a national food banking system, currently with 25 food banks in just five months. This initiative has already reached 300,000 families (1.5 million people), with a plan to almost double their impact in a year."