Spirituality and Development: Community Building that Works Experiences from
Sri Lanka
A. T. Ariyaratne, Gandhi Peace Prize recipient and founder of the Sarvodaya
Shramadana Movement of Sri Lanka, will talk about the challenges of peace-making
in a world of conflict. Through three decades of civil war, Ariyaratne's
organization has reduced violence in Sri Lanka by fostering Sarvodaya's
principled stands for peace and practical strategies to promote understanding.
Tuesday, October 16
12:00pm
World Bank J Building, J1- 050
701 18th St. NW corner of 18th St. and Pennsylvania Ave.
A reception will follow the presentation
For non bank staff, please rsvp to InfoShopevents@worldbank.org
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OPENING REMARKS
Peter Harrold
Director, Operations Services, World Bank
Mr. Harrold is currently Director of Operations Services in OPCS, where he
oversees the policy framework for the Bank's investment lending. Immediately
prior to this, he was Country Director for Sri Lanka. In this capacity,
especially after the Tsunami, he worked very closely and personally with Dr. Ari
Ariyaratne and his son Vinya, and has a strong admiration for the work of the
Sarvodaya movement in Sri Lanka, and for Ari's deep commitment to peace. Mr.
Harrold was earlier Country Director for Ghana and Sierra Leone, where he also
saw the power of grass-roots movements.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
A. T. Ariyaratne
Founder Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement of Sri Lanka
Now 75 years old, Dr. Ariyaratne has inspired millions of people around the
world with his vision of human centered development. He brings deep spiritual
insight into practical action, which has transformed millions of lives. Dr.
Ariyaratne has gained international recognition including the Gandhi Peace
Prize, the Hubert H. Humphrey Award and Alan Shawn Feistein World Hunger Award,
Niwano Peace Prize, the King Baudouin Award for International Development, and
the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership. He has been nominated for
the Nobel Prize, Hilton Humanitarian Award, Seoul Peace Prize, and Northcote
Parkinson Civil Courage Award.
For a complete bio, please see attached file:
(See attached file: Dr.Ariyaratne_shortbio.pdf)
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About Sarvodaya
Sarvodaya is the largest non-profit, grassroots organization in Sri Lanka,
working in over 15,000 villages. Based on Gandhian and Buddhist values, the
movement strives to create self-sustainable communities by reducing poverty,
promoting peace, teaching self-help and legal empowerment, and enterprise
development. Sarvodaya means "awakening of all" and Shramadana means sharing.
The essence of the movement is that "Everybody Wakes Up through Sharing Labor,
Energy, Resources, and Love." Since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Sarvodaya
villages have been rebuilding homes and schools, providing emotional support and
recovery, rehabilitating businesses, increasing survivors' input into relief
efforts, and creating environmentally-friendly rural and fishing communities.
Today, Sarvodaya-inspired initiatives are found around the world including in
the Nepal, United States, The United Kingdom, and Germany.
The 2005 United Nations-HABITAT recognized the movement for its tsunami relief
work and outstanding contributions to improving the quality of life after the
disaster. 2008 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the movement,
which is a model for "bottom-up" development around the world.
For more information about the organization, please go to: www.sarvodaya.org
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