A Lesson In Community Spirit & Cooperation

I joined Sarvodaya in Sri Lanka a few days ago as a professional volunteer consultant for six months and yesterday was my first experience in the field, witnessing first hand Sarvodaya’s village movement and programme of post-Tsunami rebuilding and rehabilitation... ...

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Tsunami Housing Project

Housing is an important component of the Sarvodaya Tsunami reconstruction programme. In the 1st Phase of the House Reconstruction Programme, we are aiming to complete 1176 houses and we have already started our construction works in the districts of Galle and Kalutara... ...

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Dr. A.T.Ariyaratne Receives Global Peace Award

At the 7th Annual Global Nonviolence Conference, Detroit, Michigan, USA, a reception and dinner was held on April 17, 2005 to honor this year's recipients of the prestigious Global Peace Award for "outstanding contribution to nonviolent social change and peacemaking". ...

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Conflict Sensitive Reconstruction Project Presented in Vienna

Sarvodaya will reconstruct 250 houses, support the reconstruction of a district hospital, a multi-purpose community center, a pre-school and children playground, a mosque, as well as a vocational training center, in the Muslim village of Ninthavur in the Ampara district. These activities will be funded by Kurier Aid Austria. The independent, non profit, non partisan association administers the donations collected by a campaign of the Austrian ...

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Sarvodaya and ASPR signs MOU

Sarvodaya and Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (ASPR) signs MOU for reconstruction 100 houses in Trincomallee Today, April 20, Sarvodaya and the Austrian Study Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution signed the Memorandum of Understanding for reconstructing the village of Samudragama in the district of Trincomalee. Approximately 100 houses will be constructed with the financial support of the Austrian Province of Burgenland. The ...

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Wave of compassion from San Diego, California

Using the Internet to create a wave of relief In 2004, American life was defined by fear, often unreasoned. As we enter 2005, such anxiety is placed in tragic perspective. Like many San Diegans, John and Dina Johns have personal connections to the victims of the tsunami and are determined to do more than worry. Using the Internet and the telephone, they're organizing an electronic campaign to increase private contributions to help Sri Lankans. John's wife ...

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Tsunami Strikes Close to Home; UMUC Professor Responds

For Patrick Mendis, a former American diplomat with the U.S. State Department and a professor of international trade and management in UMUC’s MBA program, the December 26, 2004, tsunami struck frighteningly close to home. Mendis was born in Sri Lanka, where the deadly waters have left more than 30,000 confirmed dead and an estimated 1.5 million homeless, inflicting damages estimated to approach $2 billion. Click to view the full article by Chip Cassano. ...

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Sarvodaya Participates in PHM Workshop in Humanitarian Aid To Community Empowerment

The People’s Health Movement (PHM), organized a ‘learning together’ dialogue in Chennai, India to evolve a strategy towards long term involvement of PHM in the post disaster work. The Workshop was held the Abu Palace Hotel, Chennai from 8th-9th April 2005. The PHM Sri Lanka was represented by Dr.Vinya Ariyaratne, Executive Director of Sarvodaya with other individuals and organizations belonging to the PHM Sri ...

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On the Way to Kalmunai

We wanted to leave a little earlier in the day, he said, because it would be better not to be in that part of the country when it was dark. So we left at 11 but didn’t make it out of Colombo to the Kandy road until almost 1 o’clock. Traffic was super-glued together in diesel smoke and horn honking. The petrol stations were locked in a strike. Nobody could go anywhere ...

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“Reflections on Overheads” by Rick Brooks

Individuals and organizations who have contributed to tsunami relief often want to know how much of their support “goes directly to people who need it” and how much is taken out for “overhead” or administration. These are reasonable questions given the scandals at the United Nations, United Ways and many non-profit agencies as well as corporations. Such concerns are complicated further by the large sums of money donated in response to disasters and ...

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