Sri Lanka's Sarvodaya movement

I came to Sri Lanka, a country I have lived in on and off for the past twelve years, to document the work of Dr. Ariyaratne, a nobel peace prize nominee and tireless advocate for the poor and marginalized in Sri Lanka. Fifty years ago, as a school principal he started a service movement which supported rural communities in organizing for self-empowerment. At the heart of this movement were shramadana camps, where people shared their labor for the benefit of the entire village. In this way roads were build, wells dug, and communities strengethened in the knowledge that they could create what they needed to themselves. Sarvodaya has a saying "we build the road and the road builds us." For the last nine months I studies the nuances of International development, never have I witnessed such a holistic ground-up movement.

Turning fifty in 2008, the movement has grown into the country's largest NGO serving millions in more than 15,000 villages across the island. As I travel and work with Sarvodaya, I am blown away by the scale of what they have been able to achieve with modest means. I have been to peace-building camps serving youth traumatized by generations of intractable civil conflict, to homes for teenage mothers, and homes for orphans in need of intensive medical care. In all of these places I felt a heart behind the work, a genuine care and commitment. These were not mere programs, created and left after completion of a contract. They were homes filled with the intangibles. The spaces were immaculate, the care diligent, and the commitment profound. I am humbled by how comprehensive, how holistic, Sarvodaya's approach is to their work. They create a family where those who otherwise fall through cracks of society find a home.