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On 21st of September 2007, to mark the United Nations International Day of Peace, re-invigorated its peace efforts particularly in the Eastern part of Sri Lanka with a large peace meditation and a peace walk in Trincomallee. Dr.A.T.Ariyaratne, Founder-President of Sarvodaya led the Peace walk through the Trincomallee town and later the Peace Meditation at the Sarvodaya District Centre in Uppuveli, Trincomallee

“MIHI REKMA” (Protecting Mother Earth) – Environmental Unit of Sarvodaya was ceremonially re-established at the Sarvodaya Head Quarters on 3rd August 2007 with the intention of re-commencing Sarvodaya Environmental Activities that are deeply rooted with spiritual values.

The New Vocational Training Centre building at the Sarvodaya District Centre in Trincomallee was declared opened by Her Excellency Ruth Flint Ambassador of Switzerland to Sri Lanka and Maldives on the 16th of July. This building is part of the Sarvodaya Peace Resource Centre Trincomallee and the Vocational Training Centre is funded by the Swiss Solidarity Foundation, Canton Zurich and CO-OPERAID.

Between May 8th and May 11th, Deshodaya (National Awakening), Sarvodaya’s programme on good governance and peace, organized a nationwide bus tour with the message of sustainable peace and community self governance.

The bus tour that started on May 8th at Sarvodaya’s headquarters in Moratuwa headed northwest to Gampha and Puttalam districts and ended in Ratnapura after visiting war affected eastern districts of Trincomalee, Batticoloa, and Amapara. The group of more than 80 people on two buses traveled together for four days through 11 of the 25 administrative districts in Sri Lanka. The group stopped in several villages and towns distributing Vision Declaration.

The Draft Deshodaya Vision Declaration which is the result of a series of community level consultations and dialogues facilitated by a group of “mobile leaders” or truth seekers was presented to Prof.Tissa Vitharana, the Chairman of the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) and Minister of Science and Technology at his Ministry on 12th April 2007.

Mr.Chaminda Rajakaruna, Attorney-at-Law, the new Director of Deshodaya (National Reawakening Programme) and Mr.Aruna Jayasena, the Coordinator of the Sarvodaya Peace Secretariat made presentations on the Vision Declaration to Prof.Vitharana.

Durham University is this week celebrating two exceptional people who have played a pivotal role in the post-tsunami recovery efforts in Sri Lanka. It is awarding honorary degrees to the vice-chancellor of one of the country’s leading universities and the executive director of one of the largest non-governmental organisations in Sri Lanka.

At a ceremony taking place at the University of Ruhuna in Southern Sri Lanka on Friday 16 February, Professor Sir Kenneth Calman, Vice-Chancellor of Durham University, will confer honorary doctorates in civil law (DCL) on Dr Vinya Ariyaratne, Executive Director of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, for his unfailing dedication to humanitarian causes and peace initiatives and Professor Ranjith Senaratne, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ruhuna, for his academic distinction, effective management and visionary development of an international strategy for his institution.

5th November 2006 marked the 75th birthday of our Founder and President, Dr A.T. Ariyaratne. Whilst every birthday is marked with special ceremonies, people throughout Sri Lanka joined in a variety of special celebrations to mark this milestone year. His Excellency Mahinda Rajapakse, President of Sri Lanka, voiced the feelings of millions of Sri Lankans when he addressed a huge audience from all walks of the Sri Lankan and international communities at the Felicitation Ceremony at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute.

Sarvodaya’s Vishva Sama Samadhi – Universal Peace Meditation – in Anuradhapura’s sacred city on 2nd October was a great success and significant achievement. The morning started with the Sarvodaya “Family Gathering” with thousands of people participating as the buses, mini-vans and even tractors kept on arriving. By 3pm, the entire 4.5 km of sacred land around the 2,500-year old Samadhi Buddha statue had been filled, nearing the target of a million people. CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTO GALLERY

Vishva Sama Samadhi – More than one million people from Sri Lanka itself and many visitors from overseas are expected to participate in a Universal Peace Meditation on 2nd October – please join us here in Sri Lanka or feel free to organise your own simultaneous meditation closer to home. Since the recent escalation of violence in Sri Lanka, Sarvodaya has held a series of spiritually-based events across the country. This new peace initiative began with a peace meditation for 10,000 in Trincomalee in February, and will culminate in the Universal Peace Meditation, chosen to coincide with Mahatma Gandhi Day, 2nd October 2006. Join us.

Sarvodaya has always stood for non-violence and peace. Through out its 5 decades of existence it has worked hard for bringing individual and community awakening through an integrated approach to development and peace.

The past few months Sri Lanka has witnessed unprecedented violence making the 4 year old fragile ceasefire between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE a mere document in paper. Sarvodaya not only continued with various actions at different levels to diffuse a situation of heightened violence and human suffering, but worked hard without much coverage in the mainstream media in the country (which is by and large encouraging a “war agenda” promoting further violence), to promote inter-community understanding while helping to meet the urgent needs of the affected communities.

On 8th July 2006, Sarvodaya once again reflected the commitment of the ordinary citizens of Sri Lanka towards peace. Led by Dr.A.T.Ariyaratne, Founder – Leader of Sarvodaya, 8000 people belonging to all ethnic communities held a peace meditation in Ampara, the troubled Eastern Province of Sri Lanka.