A people's movement for self-reliance in Sri Lanka

Carnets Enfance. 1977 Jul-Sep:39:78-98.

Abstract

PIP: This paper describes the development and activities of the Sarvodaya Movement, a grass-roots mutual-aid movement based on traditional Buddhist social values. Started by high school students and teachers in 1947 as a community-service organization the Movement is open to all individuals and has attracted thousands of volunteers in 1200 villages. Sarvodaya Shramadana emphasizes improvement in the standard of living through the development of local resources by the community itself, strengthening of the family and the village unit, discouragement of large-scale industrialization and removal of forms of exploitation, such as caste, race discrimination, large-scale land ownership, and so on. Key to all of the Movement's activities is the concept of self-reliance, self-realization, nondependence at both the individual and the village level. The mutual sharing of labor not only accomplishes the work of the community, creating the physical infrastructure for economic improvement, but serves as a revolutionary technique to awaken people to their own potential. The movement organizes villages into functional groups by age and occupation and trains community workers who are chosen by the villages themselves. In each village, work starts on short-term strategies to relieve debt, provide health care and educate the population and long-term strategies to generate sustained, unified community spirit and sufficient income to avoid use of outside credit. The Movement's specific projects include surveys of nutritional deficiencies, the community kitchen program, preschool program, day care centers, children's library service and community health programs. The Movement is now changing from a centrally-coordinated organization toward decentralized organization based in 52 Extension Centers and run, at the national level, by an Executive Council of 35, a 6-man board and 9 coordinators. The Movement was self-financed by members for the 1st 10 years but has used outside financing in the last 10 years. Through establishment of economic activities, the Movement hopes to be self-reliant by 1985.

MeSH terms

  • Asia
  • Asia, Southeastern
  • Community Health Workers*
  • Delivery of Health Care
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Health Personnel
  • Health Planning*
  • Health Services
  • Maternal-Child Health Centers*
  • Organization and Administration
  • Primary Health Care
  • Research*
  • Social Change*
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Sri Lanka