Artha Dharma, the philosophy of Economic and Moral Values, born from the need of redefining an integrated development action plan across the country, was launched this past week by Sarvodaya with the collaboration of their like minded partners.
Sarvodaya with its 65 years of extensive experience in community development, stepped forward on another historical journey to envision Sri Lanka’s transformative journey through a reimagined strategy for the next five years for the country, centered around the philosophy of Artha Dharma. Artha Dharma is the philosophy that in order to create a foundation of moral values, a person(s)/community should be economically stable and secure.
The launch event took place with the participation of youth, community members, civil society organizations, international and national partners, and well-wishers. The Artha Dharma initiative articulates a scientific value-based transformation of the economy, society, and governance through which to establish a comprehensive, interconnected and collective framework for development.
Capitalizing on Sarvodaya’s work for spanning across nearly 15,000 villages in the country, the Artha Dharma initiative will promote economic independence, build social capital, harness the power of people, foster decentralized systems, enhance resilience, and empower communities at the grassroots level and beyond through value-based standards.
By starting from smaller village clusters and working upwards, Sarvodaya seeks to promote and strengthen community participation and local decision-making processes. This bottom-up approach aims to build robust foundations for sustainable development, ensuring that the aspirations and needs of the people are at the heart of the transformational journey, supported by an array of local, national and global stakeholders through collaboration and joint action between citizens, grassroots organizations, government, and global partners. By drawing inspiration from the Grama Swaraj philosophy, the initiative aims to adopting innovative approaches and forging strong partnerships that can take Sri Lanka on a path towards sustainable development. Sarvodaya’s transformative journey of 65 years provides a solid foundation for this national endeavor.
