In
2004, 3 million people in Sri Lanka celebrated the International Day of Peace
when spiritual leader Dr. Ari Ariyaratne invited his war-plagued nation to join
together for a day of peaceful meditation. Dr. Ariyaratne, compared by many to
Gandhi, is the founder of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement. Sarvodaya is a Sanskrit
word for "everybody wakes up" and under his leadership this movement
has worked hard for nearly 50 years to foster enlightenment and development for
Sri Lankans, but especially the poorest and least powerful in society. They have
helped thousands of villages to become self-reliant, building homes, hospitals
and schools, digging wells and promoting alternative energy and food infrastructures
as well as defending women's and children's rights and promoting religious tolerance
and cooperation. Dr. Ariyaratne and the Sarvodaya Movement's accomplishments have
created a model for sustainable community development and movement-building that
continues to inspire many other national and global movements for a more peaceful,
just and sustainable world.
