A.T. Ariyaratne is founder and PRESIDENT of Sri Lanka’s Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, a non-profit that involves millions of people in 15,000 villages in development projects. A former teacher at Sri Lanka’s Nalanda College, Ariyaratne conducted the first work camp to share time, resources, thoughts, energy and labor (shramadana) in 1958. Since then, the Sarvodaya movement’s reputation has grown due to its holistic, integrated approach to personal, family, village and national development during five decades. Ariyaratne and Sarvodaya have energized villagers to collaborate to build more than 7,000 pre-schools, community health centers, libraries and cottage industries; establish thousands of village banks; dig thousands of wells and latrines; promote biodiversity, solar energy, rehabilitation and peace. An estimated 11 million people have benefited from the grassroots development organization that emphasizes the dual awakening of the individual and society to advance nonviolence and cooperation. Ariyaratne has led some of the world’s largest peace marches and meditations to address the conflict in his country, with 650,000 people gathering in Sri Lanka in 2002, and nearly 1 million in October 2006. Ariyaratne has won a number of international recognitions. In 2007, Dr. Ariyaratne was recognized as Srilankabhimanya (pride of Sri Lanka), Sri Lanka’s highest civilian honor.

A.T. Ariyaratne is founder and PRESIDENT of Sri Lanka’s Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, a non-profit that involves millions of people in 15,000 villages in development projects. A former teacher at Sri Lanka’s Nalanda College, Ariyaratne conducted the first work camp to share time, resources, thoughts, energy and labor (shramadana) in 1958. Since then, the Sarvodaya movement’s reputation has grown due to its holistic, integrated approach to personal, family, village and national development during five decades. Ariyaratne and Sarvodaya have energized villagers to collaborate to build more than 7,000 pre-schools, community health centers, libraries and cottage industries; establish thousands of village banks; dig thousands of wells and latrines; promote biodiversity, solar energy, rehabilitation and peace. An estimated 11 million people have benefited from the grassroots development organization that emphasizes the dual awakening of the individual and society to advance nonviolence and cooperation. Ariyaratne has led some of the world’s largest peace marches and meditations to address the conflict in his country, with 650,000 people gathering in Sri Lanka in 2002, and nearly 1 million in October 2006. Ariyaratne has won a number of international recognitions. In 2007, Dr. Ariyaratne was recognized as Srilankabhimanya (pride of Sri Lanka), Sri Lanka’s highest civilian honor.