At least 180 people have been killed and over a half a million displaced in Sri Lanka following flooding and mudslides triggered by monsoon rains that started on the 24th of May 2017, the government says. A further 100+ people have been reported missing.

14 out of the 25 districts have been affected by floods. 52,503 families and 200,382 persons.

Sarvodaya will confine it's initial emergency response only to worse affected 6 districts - Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Galle, Rathnapura and Kegalle. We are coordinating with the respective Divisional Secretaries and unaffected Sarvodaya societies to provide emergency relief as some areas are not accessible by road.

Sarvodaya USA's experience with the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka and the 2015 Nepal earthquake has taught us that working with grassroots organizations can make a critical difference.  The best use of your donation is through people familiar with local needs and resources.  

That's why Sarvodaya USA is accepting donations for our sister organization in Sri Lanka, founded by Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne of the Sarvodaya Shramadana movement of Sri Lanka. Sarvodaya staff and societies around the country have dedicated their energy to address challenges and disasters over 50 years of history in Sri Lanka.

Donations are being accepted and relief and recovery efforts are underway. Learn more and donate here.

​Thank you for your support!

​This fall, Sarvodaya USA (SUSA) sponsored a community event at the Linda & Gene Farley Center for Peace, Justice and Sustainability.  Our focus was to spread awareness of SUSA within our local community and thus increase visibility of our philosophy and the important work we are doing globally.   We decided to make the focus of our event building an Earth Peace Mandala together with the help of whoever showed up.
 
Mandalas have traditionally been used in many religious and spiritual practices to represent the universe.  Some are used in meditation practice, healing, or others to symbolize different stages of enlightenment, or to teach a lesson.  The meaning and uses for mandalas are vast, but the form we engaged with are called Earth Peace Mandalas, shown to me by a friend, Veronica Ramirez. 

Veronica has been building these mandalas for many years, bringing this art to festivals, ceremonies, community events, and gathers of many kinds.  Her intention was to create a sacred space where people could create something beautiful together.  This art form uses all-natural foraged materials gathered by a group of volunteers.   In this way the mandala integrates localism, seasonality, and reminds us of our connection to nature. 
 
Some of the intrigue of earth mandalas comes in the organic, group participation that is necessary for its design.  Often times there is a general vision or skeleton structure that the group starts with, but the rest is left to the collective creativity of the group to feel out.   It is inspiring to stand back and see the spectacle that was created by many hands at work after hours of detailed and thoughtful placement. 
 
The reason our group chose this medium was because we saw so many ways that it aligned with the philosophy of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement.   We saw that it involved the gift of shared labor, or a shramadana, by foraging and also creating the physical mandala.  We found the work itself to be meditative, and encouraged individuals to be in a more enlightened state of mind, a component that resonates with the meaning of sarvodaya, or “the awakening of all.” In addition we supported the food sales of a local Tibetan organic farmer, supporting our global mission to encourage sustainable farming practices. And as a result of this event we strengthened our relationship with other non-profits that share a similar mission in Madison.  
 
A few items that added substance to the event were having a group meditation led by a member of a local Buddhist chapter, a group discussion of chronic kidney disease in Sri Lanka, serving Sri Lankan cuisine, and having a children’s table that offered henna and mandala coloring pages.
 
The Farley Center was so impressed with our mandala that they have already scheduled our next for this summer!  If you are in the area, we’d love to see you there.
 
Written by Bridgette Weber
Member of the Sarvodaya USA Board of Directors
 

Maia Fitzstevens, current board member and former Sarvodaya USA Project Coordinator, wrote this update about the farm to our donors who supported the initial funding of the project in January 2016:

I recently received a letter from Eranda at Sarvodaya in Sri Lanka. He wrote: "It's a great pleasure to tell we got our very first harvest at Sripura Farm after 35 years. I think you already know about that. This was a team work effort, as you know Dr. Vinya, Ravi Ayya, Tharindu, Thennakoon, Malani Akka, Surasena, Monlar, Sripura villagers and specially you and Sarvodaya USA sacrificed their time, money, knowledge and efforts and were behind this successfulness." 

My deep appreciation goes out to all of you who came to the party in January and celebrated the beginning of this endeavor. We all have made something beautiful happen! The farm in Sri Lanka is growing and crops are being harvested. 

The last time I wrote you all with an update on the project, Shamila of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) and I were meeting up to brainstorm about what needed to be done to make this happen. At that point, we had identified members of our steering committee and hosted the first training at the farm. So much has happened since then- the steering committee met, composed of leaders from Sarvodaya and MONLAR, which includes leading experts on the science and practice of ecological farming. Our shared understanding and commitment to this farm proved to be an anchor in overcoming the challenges associated with bringing together a new group of people, finding a manager, coming up with a project plan, and organizing the logistics of budgets and financing. The steering committee had a day in Colombo where Mr. Soorasena, our ecological farming consultant, guided us through the process of creating a project plan and budget. We then made a visit to the farm where we surveyed the land and planned how to use it. Candidates were interviewed for the position of farm manager and Muthubanda, with previous experience in starting ecological farms, was hired. 

We organized a kick-off event, where the local Sarvodaya coordinator invited 60 people from the community, including 3 school principals, youth group leaders, farmer group leaders, school teachers, police officers, civil defense force members, women farmer leaders... she truly invited everyone to come. Mr. Soorasena spoke to the people about the importance of ecological farming and how we have to work together to help ourselves, not rely on external help from the government or companies. He has the gift of being able to communicate with anyone, including rural people. We served tea and snacks, and the people spoke of the need for youth development activities, and asked if we could have programs at the farm where youth come to take some tutoring classes and learn about agriculture. 

On one occasion I was sitting alone in one of the semi-destroyed buildings on the site. The roof was blown out and the rubble still lay on the floor. I hadn't really understood prior to that moment, that this place was heavily bombed during the Civil War, and that most people living in this area now had left during the worst of the fighting in the mid-2000s. People are now there, rebuilding their lives, and facing the new threat of kidney disease. It was a moving moment for me- I can still see the way the bright sunlight fell on the floor in that room. I knew in that moment that this farm was bringing peace and new life to this far-off corner of the island. 

So what's next? Eranda continued in his email to me: "We will be soon starting the 2nd round of training for farmers on sustainable agriculture. However, we are still at the very preliminary and critical stage and we have a long way to go. Next month we plan to cultivate another 2.5 acres.Then we can continuously supply our organic products for local people. Still we are facing some critical issues, like water. We need to install a sprinkler water system as soon as possible. It is little bit expensive but as before we can design it and install by ourselves in a cost effective way. Actually now we need to find more funds to fully develop another 2.5 acre as soon possible. After that we can survive without any fundings that is our main goal. I hope you will visit us as soon as possible to see this successfulness. I hope you are with us always and will be good encouragement for our team always. We already applied for organic certification and plan to supply the products to the local market while we promote organic farming through training and education."
 
Dr. Vinya, the General Secretary of Sarvodaya, recently called this farm a "flagship project" and notes that people in Sri Lanka are paying attention. Dr. Vinya is a nationally known and respected figure and has a voice at the highest echelons of Sri Lankan politics and society. Sarvodaya's commitment to ecological farming through the efforts of this farm matters. 

At the heart of Sarvodaya philosophy is the act and spirit of Shramadana, or gift of labor, energy, time and resources. There were many Shramadanas that went into this farm: in June 2015, a group gathered at the farm to bring this idea to the community. A few months later, hundreds of local people gathered there to clear the 5 acres which are currently being cultivated. In January, we came together in this spirit, and look at all that has come out of that. What a celebration! Being together in January was great fun for me, and the outcomes of that effort are a joy to share with all of you. I hope you enjoy the photos of the farm. 

With gratitude and love,
Maia

On January 16, 2016, in Rochester, NY, I hosted a party to raise money for the Sri Tissapura model organic farm and training center. It was a great success, with 80 guests and a grand total of $17,613 raised for the project- well on our way to our goal of $30,000! 

The event was held at the Rochester Academy of Medicine, a gem of a venue in the Rochester area. We had fun exploring the place, which even has a secret room with a door disguised as a mirror in a staircase! Amaya Indian Cuisine did an amazing job catering the event with a full vegetarian indian dinner, and Cheesy Eddies provided mini cheesecakes and carrot cakes for dessert. Some great silent auction items were donated The Alan Murphy Trio and Madeline Cain played some great jazz music, keeping our ears happy during dinner and getting some people up to dance after the program was over! 

For the program portion of the evening, I shared my story of how I got involved with the kidney disease project

To raise the remaining funds for the project, Elena, our new intern for this semester, and I are applying for grants for small scale sustainable agriculture projects. 

Our featured intern of the week is Elena Beckman, a senior at UW-Madison, working towards a Psychology degree with a certificate in Global Health.
 
I first became interested in Sarvodaya after my global health trip to Nepal was cancelled last May. The organization was helping with relief efforts after the earthquake and I tried to stay updated on what Sarvodaya was doing to help out and any fundraising events they were holding here on campus. One event in particular that I attended was a dinner to raise money for relief efforts. I got the chance to listen to various speakers talking about different projects Sarvodaya was currently involved with. One particular project I had never heard about had to do with the issue of chronic kidney disease of unknown origin in Sri Lanka. It was a health problem I had never learned about and I was instantly interested because of its difference from regular kidney disease for which we already have known causes.

After fall semester, I decided that doing some kind of global health internship would be a different but beneficial way of fulfilling my field course requirement for the global health certificate (what the Nepal trip would have counted for). I got in contact with Sarvodaya and was passed along to Maia Fitzstevens, who is currently coordinating the chronic kidney disease prevention project. After reading up on CKDu (chronic kidney disease of unknown origin) in Sri Lanka and speaking with Maia, I became even more motivated to help with the project. It is a growing issue that seems to have remained hidden from public knowledge. So I decided I really wanted to help and have begun to assist Maia from Madison while she is abroad in Sri Lanka implementing the project. I am helping with CKDu research as well as updates through social media and blogging to keep people up to date on the progress of the project going on in Sri Lanka.

Aside from my new work with Sarvodaya, I am a psychology major and work as a research assistant in a social cognitive development lab here at UW-Madison. We study how infants and children develop social categories and preferences. I love this area of psychology and didn’t really become interested in it until joining the lab but am so glad I did! My hope for the future is that I will at some point go to graduate school for clinical psychology and work as a clinical neuropsychologist in a hospital setting. This would allow me to interact with people on a regular basis while also getting to enjoy the research and science side of psychology as well. In addition to this, I could also see myself obtaining a Master’s in Public Health. Because of getting my global health certificate, I have realized I have a very strong interest in public health and could see myself working for an NGO one day as well. I have so many interests it will be hard to decide so who knows what my future holds!
​
I am also a part of a club called Psi Chi, an academic psychology club. We do some volunteer work as well as getting the chance to hear from many professors on campus and the research they are currently involved in. My favorite volunteer work that I am a part of is at an assisted living home and health center where I work with residents who have dementia and/or Alzheimer’s. I am a part of the Music and Memory Program where we sit down with a resident and listen to playlists they have previously helped to create. Outside of school, my hobbies/interests include reading, exercising, and traveling.

We are taking on an ambitious new initiative here at Sarvodaya USA: supporting the development of a new organic farm and training center at a 53 acre Sarvodaya site at Sri Tissapura, in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. It's a very exciting new project that we are thrilled to be supporting! This farm is the first in what will be a series of initiatives through the Sarvodaya-MONLAR Joint Action Program for Kidney Disease Prevention, to improve the health of farmers in Sri Lanka. I'm excited to start the process of sharing information here about organic agriculture and farmers issues in Sri Lanka. These are very important issues, and probably something you've never heard about before, since they don't get a lot of media coverage. 

Before I write more, let me introduce myself. My name is Maia Fitzstevens and I'm the Program Manager for Kidney Disease Prevention here at Sarvodaya USA. I spent 6 months in Sri Lanka in 2015 to develop and implement public health programs to tackle the major public health threat of chronic kidney disease among rural farming populations in Sri Lanka's Dry Zone. This work arose out of an internship I did with Sarvodaya in 2013, funded by the Madeleine Albright Institute at Wellesley College, where I was tasked with doing research on the epidemic of kidney disease in Sri Lanka, to understand the environmental causes of the disease and what could be done at the community level to prevent future cases and lessen the suffering of current patients and their families. I'll get more into the details of the kidney disease epidemic in another blog post.

Since you are reading this blog, chances are good that you know a bit about what Sarvodaya does in Sri Lanka (if you don't, feel free to check out our "About us" and "Learn" tabs at the top of our webpage), and chances are good that you've not heard of our partner organization, MONLAR, or the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform. MONLAR is a non-governmental organization that works at the community, national and international levels to promote ecological agriculture, land rights, and agrarian reform. MONLAR serves as an umbrella organization for local community based organizations that teach farmers and their families to cultivate crops with organic methods. At the national level, MONLAR promotes and fights for organic farming policies and organizes farmers in important campaigns. Several recent campaigns include advocating for the land rights of people displaced by tourism development in Panama, Sri Lanka, and fighting against the Seed Act in 2014, which would have made it illegal for farmers to save their own seeds. At the international level, MONLAR represents Sri Lanka in La Via Campesina and the Asian Peasant Coalition, both leading networks and organizing bodies for peasants rights and struggles worldwide. 

Sarvodaya and MONLAR, as community-based organizations concerned about the well being of Sri Lankans in the face of threats from toxic chemical-intensive agriculture and the kidney disease epidemic, began conversations in May 2015 on how they could act together for change. The conversations resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, which initiated the Sarvodaya-MONLAR Joint Action Program for Kidney Disease Prevention. This is an innovative and unique partnership that brings together the wide bases of these community networks and combines their expertise with top-level national leadership in the field of community development and social change. 

This farm project arose in conversations between leadership teams from Sarvodaya and MONLAR over the course of May and June 2015 to answer the question: what can we do, with our current organizational capacities, to address the contamination of our environment and prevent kidney disease, an urgent public health threat? We knew what our highest priorities for kidney disease prevention at the local level were: promoting clean water and organic agriculture, screening communities for early stages of kidney disease, and providing support to current patients and their families.

We knew we had to start small. We had to be realistic about the limitations of our ability to find funding, and thus work as much as possible within our existing organizational strengths and capacities. Getting into water projects, screening people to find new patients and supporting current patients all seemed like too much to start off with, so we brainstormed ways we could work on promoting organic agriculture. Somehow the idea came about that we could develop Sarvodaya's 53 acre land plot in Sri Tissapura near Padaviya, one of the areas of Sri Lanka hardest hit by kidney disease. Sarvodaya agreed to find the labor and provide the land for developing a model organic farm and farmer training center, and MONLAR agreed to provide seeds and develop training programs. Thus, our project was born! 

On June 24, 2015, a group of people from Sarvodaya and MONLAR met to discuss the project on-site at Sri Tissapura, an 8-hour car ride from Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka. We started the day with a walk around the farm site, taking a look at the organic banana plantation, the agro-wells, and the land that hadn't been developed yet. The banana plantation, although small, was productive and organic. The 3 agro-wells, or wells designed to provide irrigation water, were in great shape and deemed ready for use. The land was assessed for ideal planting locations. I, knowing nothing about any of these farming details, had a lot of fun walking around the land with my new friends from the nearby Sarvodaya Kebithigollewa district center, young women around my age who help run the center there. Between my broken Sinhalese and their English, we were able to communicate and have a good time together. This was a real treat for me! 

We then had an AMAZING meal that the staff at Sri Tissapura cooked carefully and lovingly. It was obvious that they had been at work all morning to make this beautiful lunch that featured local vegetables, including wild eggplant curry! The spread is below, and featured in the photo (from left to right) is Thennakoon, the manager of the Sri Tissapura site, and Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne, General Secretary of Sarvodaya. 

This was my plate at the meal, an amazing array of curries served traditionally on a leaf (this is what people used before plastic came around!). It was one of the best meals I had while I was in Sri Lanka! 

Then we moved on to work. We all sat in a circle around a shady area outside the main building of the Sri Tissapura center and discussed our dreams and plans for what the center could be. Present were: Thilak Kariyawasam, consultant from the Lanka Organic Agriculture Movement, Shamila Rathnasooriya, Media and Program Manager for MONLAR, Lakpriya Nanayakkara, social activist with MONLAR, Tharindu Gunathilaka, Program Coordinator for Sarvodaya, Malani and her staff from the Sarvodaya Kebithigollewa District Coordinator, Thennakoon, the manager of the Sri Tissapura Sarvodaya Center, and Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne, General Secretary of Sarvodaya. It was a great honor for Thenakoon and the other staff at Sri Tissapura to host this group of top-level national leaders. The conversation proceeded in Sinhala, and everyone spoke about their ideas. It was decided that 10 acres would be cleared for planting, and that indigenous vegetables and pulses would be planted in locations ideal for the given crops and proximity to the agro-wells. Labor would be hired to develop the land, which would become a model farm for farmers enrolled in training programs to see organic farming methods in action. Training programs were explored and plans were made for how to proceed. It was also decided to rehabilitate several buildings on site for use as sleeping quarters, so that farmers from far and wide could come to learn for multi-day trainings. 

That's the story! We made the plans, with me being put in charge to raise the money to make this dream into a reality. This is where you all come in: please donate generously for the Fundraiser coming up this weekend in Rochester, NY to make this farm center a reality. Even if you cant come to the fundraiser, your donation of any size to contribute to our $30,000 fundraising goal will be greatly appreciated! 

Check back often for updates on the project and more information about the issue of kidney disease and the importance of ecological farming. 

By Ellie Krienke
Photos courtesy of Sweta Shrestha

This afternoon my fellow interns and I met outside on a beautiful summer day and had the chance to catch up with our course leader and friend, Sweta. She just returned from her trip to Nepal, where she was born and raised, and did not disappoint us with her nothing-short of incredible stories of what life is really like over there post-earthquake. Sweta’s stories remind us that disasters provide for a complicated situation that is both devastating and beautiful, confusing and yet filled with life-altering world views, and can simultaneously tear apart families while uniting their respectful communities. Telling about a nation in crisis is not an easy thing to do. It involves telling a story, and there are many to choose from.  I fully disclose that it is not my story. I must pick and choose many testimonies from another person to try and give others one full, complicated picture that is made of many parts but can also stand on its own. Here in this space, I hope to bring her stories justice.

One thing that we forget all too often is how nothing has the potential to bring people together better than a disaster. This was true in 9/11, in hurricane Katrina, in personal family deaths.  But it is true on an unfathomably larger scale in Nepal. Coming together is engrained in the culture, born in the genes of the people. This goes far beyond Asian cultures being generally more collectivistic than Western ones when we consider the fact that Nepal’s government is not trusted by its citizens.  After a disheartening civil war, Nepal still has no constitution and the government has little to no credibility. There is not much for central leadership, so when you mix poverty with an earth-shattering disaster, the recipe spells for anarchy, violence, plagues of disease, and chaos.  Instead what is witnessed now, at least merely two months later, is peace. Despite a lack of government support, communities have come together to support entire hospitals.  The Dhulikhel hospital outside of Kathmandu was the primary hospital after the earthquake. In Nepal, when individuals are admitted to the hospital, it is a family affair. For every victim of the disaster, at least six people accompanied him to the hospital. There are no CNAs, there are only families. Although the concept shows a testament to the power of family, it also caused for over-crowding and a lack of resources. To counter this, the community in Dhulikhel supported every victim and their families with food for an entire month. Out of the thousands that stayed at Dhulikhel, there were only three deaths. 

I must also sadly draw attention to the severance of families that occurred not only immediately by the death of parents and children, but by the aftermath effects. Many animals were killed by the earthquake and left their owners without a sustainable income. Animals that survived were often killed so that families could sustain themselves at least short-term. Only the fortunate few are able to think long-term in Nepal. The majority of income is currently provided by men working in the Middle East, many of them building stadiums for the world cup in Qatar. These jobs are dangerous and involve intense physical labor. Many men have died working on these stadiums. Although I am not a supporter of the world cup or Olympics and the tragedies that host countries and foreign aid workers from third world countries undergo, I cannot stress enough the complexity of these family situations. Often times these people do not know or do not have a better option. The money that they receive is better than what they can do with no animals and no farm back in Nepal. At the same time, the women are left to do not only all of the parenting and housework, but also all of the physical labor.  Shisir, the CEO of Teach for Nepal, a distinguished UW alum from the MPA program, and a fellow leader of our program is now facing a new problem: there is often no one left in these villages with the time or strength to re-build schools.

In addition to highlighting what the Nepali people are doing to continue on with their own life while simultaneously alleviating the suffering of those around them, it is imperative to also draw attention and concern to the plethora of foreign aid agencies that have swarmed Nepal in the weeks following the earthquakes.  Again, this comes with two-folded consequences: with hordes of new people, the economy undoubtedly has more money flowing through it. More people were buying more things. The prices of hotels in Kathmandu tripled overnight following the earthquake. But there were also too many people being paid over three hundred dollars a day (per person) by their governments, just for food. The government began rejecting several foreign aid agencies, again, with controversy. Unlike with Haiti, Nepal has never been colonized. They are an independent country with prideful people that have never needed to be ‘saved’, and they still don’t need to be. They are self-sustaining and doing amazing work on their own. Still, there is much good that non-profit agencies have done, and I fear that people will forget about Nepal, the way they always do in the months following a disaster. And that is when Nepal will need this aid the most. There is so much follow-up work to be done. Nepal didn’t need boxes of canned food, or rescue missions that cost 50,000 dollars and saved only 10 people, or workers that didn’t know how to properly allocate their skills and resources, while making more money than they gave. But they will more effectively be able to use this foreign aid in the event of disease outbreaks, millions of missed routine visits, and fixing damaged rivers and sewage systems.

The complexity of this story does not end here. One thing Sweta told us that sticks out in my mind is that the people are still living in fear. Many cannot enter their cracked homes or high rises that are deemed unsafe. They are sleeping outside of their homes or in tents, and still feel aftershocks. They await the next earthquake, and do not feel as though their nightmare is over. There are very few alive in Nepal today that can remember an earthquake as devastating as this one, but now the memory is strong, and the conversations with people on the street do not stop at “hello, how are you?”, but always include “how is your family, did your home survive?”. And yet, Nepal never fails to overcome and surprise us- on top of a thin blanket of fear lives ever glowing the light of peace that Nepali people give generously. “They still insist on making you food, they still insist on welcoming you in to their home,” says Sweta. Their worlds have changed, and yet, the most important things have stayed very much the same.

If you want to check out a few of the aid agencies that are doing selfless, sustaining, and culturally sensitive work in Nepal, check out Teach for Nepal, MAITI and UNICEF on Facebook. Hopefully I will be interning with one of these amazing organizations next summer- fingers crossed!

Also stay tuned to Sardovaya’s future events, and contact me or one of the other interns if you would like a ticket! CYC tickets are selling out fast!

CYC fundraiser: Sunday, October 11th at 11:30 AM- 20 dollars

Yoga Event: TBA- suggested 5 dollar donation

Fall Banquet Fundraiser Dinner: Date TBA

Our featured intern this week is Monica Gressett a Senior at UW studying Biology and pursuing a certificate in Global Health.

Hi everyone! I’m excited to be working as an intern with Sarvodaya USA this summer, and thought I’d take this time to share a little bit of my story.

I first found out about the earthquake from my lab mentor, Zach, who texted me while I was at the farmers market early on a Saturday morning. It said “glad you’re not in Nepal right now!” Initially confused, I checked the internet homepage, and sure enough, I learned of the massive earthquake that devastated Nepal. I was heartbroken for the people, the infrastructure, and selfishly, for what was going to become of our trip.

To be honest, Nepal wasn’t always on my top list of places to visit or serve. I speak Mandarin Chinese, so I always envisioned myself attending a field experience in China. Something about Nepal struck me, though, when I talked with the Global Health certificate staff, and especially when I heard students from last year speaking about their passion and excitement for their trip and the experiences they’d had in Nepal.

Once I made the plunge and signed up, I was thrilled. I researched Nepali culture, learned several words and phrases, and made packing lists, ensuring I would be 100% ready when the plane left the runway. I constantly wanted to learn more about the country, the culture, and the people. I even wrote a research paper on maternal mortality in Nepal for my public health class. I learned about the current initiatives in place to alleviate high maternal mortality rates, and hoped that I could learn more about these plans when I visited in May. 

When I learned the trip was cancelled, I understood. Of course I was disappointed, but realized it was the best decision at the time, albeit a difficult one. The certificate leaders presented us with several different options to fulfill our field experience credit. However I truly felt connected to Nepal, and didn’t want it to end just like that. When the opportunity arose for me to intern with Sarvodaya, I jumped at the chance. I knew I could make a difference from the United States this summer, and that someday I can make it to Nepal to see everything I learned about firsthand.

The only issue with my new plan was my summer job: I do malignant melanoma research at the Mayo Clinic, and I had already committed to my third summer as a researcher. We worked it out, and decided I could use the fact that I would be in Minnesota as an asset. I could spread the word about Sarvodaya to Minnesota and beyond, breaking it out of Madison and providing unique connections and perspectives. So far, it has been working very well! There are over 250 summer interns at Mayo Clinic in various programs, and I have set up a fun Yoga/Zumba fundraiser event targeted to them, my church, and other nonprofit organizations in Rochester who are willing to spread the word. I hope these events will raise money, awareness, and insight to how students like me and the other interns can make a difference from afar.

If you’re interested in hearing about the work I’m doing in Rochester, MN, or how all of the interns are helping in Madison, please stay tuned to this blog or join the email list. Each of the interns are working on unique and exciting projects, and I hope we are fulfilling our goal of raising money for earthquake relief, and spreading the word about the wonderful organization, Sarvodaya USA!

Our featured intern this week is Michelle Darian, a junior at UW-Madison, working towards her Dietetics degree with a certificate in Global Health.

My intrigue with Nepal began in Summer 2014 when a few of my friends returned from the UW-Madison Nepal Field course and posted pictures of the most beautiful landscape and honest people to social media. Then and there I knew that I wanted to join the Nepal Field course of Summer 2015 so that I could experience this amazing country for myself. For months leading up to the trip, I read many books with a Nepal backdrop, I contacted every person I knew who has visited Nepal, and I told anyone who would listen about this amazing cultural adventure that I would soon embark on.

The morning of April 25th is one that changed the lives of so many people around the world. I woke up that morning to countless messages from concerned family and friends about the state that Nepal was in after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. In those first few moments it was hard to understand just how serious the situation was. I was in complete denial. The denial did not last long because it was impossible to escape this devastation with every news channel and radio station broadcasting the quickly increasing death toll. After much deliberation between my program leaders and the University, it was decided that the field course would be unsafe for us to attend. I was completely devastated. Selfishly, for how excited I had been about this plan for my summer, and much, much more importantly, for the families in Nepal who lost so much.

My love and passion for culture was the reason I fell in love with Nepal in the first place. With absolutely no other plan for my summer, I decided to book flights to countries with very distinct cultures because I wanted to be inspired by what I loved about Nepal. While travelling through Chefchaouen, Morocco, I was invited into a weaver’s shop called “La Maison des Nomades” for a glass of mint tea, which is a sign of hospitality in the Moroccan culture. The storeowner showed me the carpets that had been woven by the women of his village. He bought the carpets from these women in order to give them economic independence, and to contribute to their community. This experience reminded me a lot of the nonprofit organization that partnered with the Nepal Field course, Sarvodaya USA. In the meetings leading up to the Field course, my trip leader told the group about this organization that values self-reliance within communities and works to give the people of Nepal and Sri Lanka the means to use their personal strengths to better themselves and their communities. This connection to Nepal that I found on my last minute trip through Morocco inspired me to apply to be an intern for Sarvodaya USA.

After my seven weeks of cultural experiences, I returned to Madison to intern for Sarvodaya USA. This summer, I will be planning and putting on events to raise money for earthquake relief in Nepal. Additionally I will be writing blog posts to educate the public on various cultural practices in Nepal and Sri Lanka. I am also seeking out organizations that will partner with Sarvodaya USA to spread its message. In our global health classes here at UW-Madison, we have learned that it takes people acting locally, to accomplish our goals globally. Even though I could not be apart of a global mission this summer, I am determined to do all I can locally to help the people who will be able to use these resources globally. When the day comes that I can get to Nepal, I will have the capacity to appreciate it in ways that I couldn’t have otherwise.  

Stay tuned to Sarvodaya’s Facebook page to learn more about what we are up to this summer. You can also subscribe to our email list here: http://www.sarvodayausa.org/connect.html to receive occasional emails that describe what we have been up to!

Compiled by Michelle Darian

For cultural Wednesday, the interns of Sarvodaya USA have read and compiled thoughts on one of Sarvodaya’s recommended readings, Buddhist Economics by A.T. Ariyaratne. 

The book Buddhist Economics challenges its readers to take a step back and truly understand what drives their decision-making. A.T. Ariyaratne defines the modern economy as one that is focused on consumption and greed. The term “Buddhist economics” represents a lifestyle of working to maximize satisfaction by using “vigorous effort and great enthusiasm” through “lawful and just means.” A.T. Ariyaratne believes that if people can truly enjoy their jobs they can embrace the “bliss of leisure.”

This book addresses that this mindset is not always easy to live solely by because of the many pressures that exist in the modern world. We do not need to choose between the two extremes of being a modern economist or a Buddhist economist. Instead, A.T. Ariyaratne suggests that we all find the ”Middle Way.” This “Middle Way” will be the use of wealth as a form of liberation, without allowing attachment to wealth and materialistic items define one’s liberation. 

Sarvodaya believes that every person, regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity, and religion can help to strengthen their community, and will in turn make the world a better place. This belief is integrated well into the book Buddhist Economics because with this traditional mindset, an individual will be empowered through their honest work to improve not only their lives, but also the lives of everyone around them.

For access to this book, follow the link below:

http://www.aimebooks.org/28h00e_buddhist-economics-in-practice-in-the-sarvodaya-shramadana-movement-of-s-pdf.pdf

Our featured intern this week is Ellie Krienke, a senior at UW-Madison studying Neurobiology with a certificate in Global Health:


I began my journey to Nepal seven months ago in December, when I applied for the Community Health and Disparity Outreach program. After talking to a few of the other students, it’s safe to say that our reason for choosing this program had less to do with the actual program itself and more to do with Nepal. “Why Nepal?” My non-global health friends would ask me. And honestly, I wasn’t really sure. There is just something about the culture there that intrigues me more than almost any other place. The landscape isn’t too shabby either, and when you top that off with “the friendliest people on the planet” (according to my previous Nepal traveling friends), I fell in love with a place that I had never been. It is modest yet majestic, bustling with people yet seemingly untouched, ancient yet up and coming. Soon after I received my acceptance letter, the months of preparations began: 4 to 5 orientations, a geo-journal, shopping for supplies, rounds of vaccines, and meeting with my fellow students led us all to be more and more excited each day. Through a very difficult spring semester, both academically and personally, at times I told myself “105 days, 100 days, 40 days, that’s it, and then you’ll be in Nepal.” 

So, as you can imagine, we were pretty shocked when we heard news about the earthquake that devastated much of Nepal and left people that we would potentially know and love wounded or dead. Selfishly, all of us wondered what it would mean for our trip. Initially I was in complete denial that our trip would be canceled, but the more I learned and saw and read, the more I began letting go of that dream. After accepting that our trip was lost, I began feeling more empathetic and sympathetic towards a national disaster than I ever have before. 

People would ask us “why don’t you still go, and help? Maybe your trip would be different, but it will still be valuable”. And most of the time, I was one of those people, because I so desperately still wanted to go. But thanks to our wonderful public health education in Madison, we knew that we would quite honestly be more of a nuisance than aid, as we are all unskilled volunteers in a country that doesn’t need more confusion or people to direct. I am confident in the work that Shashir, our course leader, is doing over there, and unfortunately understand that we would not, at least at this time, be of much use to him. In addition, our trip to Nepal was never a mission trip. It was a learning trip. There is a fine line between doing truly good and sustainable work for others and doing well-intentioned work for yourself. The department of Global Health at UW Madison tries very hard not to cross that line, and I think they do a very good job of it. And since it was a learning trip, our journey did not end on April 25th, when the devastating earthquake shocked the world, or on May 22nd, when our flight left without us. Although I would do anything to reverse the effects of that earthquake, it did bring us to Sardovaya, which we would have possibly never been involved with otherwise. And so here we are, interning for Sardovaya and learning as much as we can about Nepal, Sri Lanka, the earthquake, CKD (chronic kidney disease), grassroots work, Shramadana, and many other assets that influence this part of the world. Our goal is to learn, educate, and raise money for the people over there that really know how to use it and maximize its’ effects. I am thankful to Sweta, Ken, Shashir, Lori, Robin, Joe, and everyone else in the global health department that has made it a priority for us to continue learning, serving, and loving that part of the world and our commitment to global health. I know without a doubt that not only will I get there one day, but my visit will be much more fruitful than it ever could have been otherwise.


Please stay tuned to our Facebook page and Instagram to learn more about Sardovaya and what we are up to this summer!

By: Michelle Darian

The June edition of National Geographic features an intriguing article called “Living Goddesses of Nepal” by Isabella Tree. This article delves into the ancient Nepali practice of choosing a living goddess, or kumari. A kumari is believed to behold healing powers, as well as the power of creative energy. A kumari is worshipped until she reaches puberty, and is then expected to return to normal life. Hundreds of years ago, every town in Kathmandu had its own kumari. Today, there are only ten. Through Tree’s research, she finds this is in part due to criticisms of this cultural practice that deem it immoral because of the Kumaris tough transition back to an average lifestyle. Tree cites this claim as true through her interview with an ex-kumari who still has issues with public speaking almost ten years later. This article outlines the costs and benefits that this unique Nepali tradition has on its culture.

I was thrilled to see this article in National Geographic, because Nepal’s rich culture is one of the most intriguing globally. I believe that the preservation of culture is one of the most important aspects to life in what is becoming an increasingly modern society. Holding on to cultural practices, while modifying them for safety is largely important, and this article discusses the perfect example of this. Tree does a great job of comparing past to present rituals and providing theories for how and why change has occurred. Her interviews with future, present, and past kumaris is unique, and the images presented with her article are captivating. 

Learn more about this ancient tradition below:

  http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2015/06/nepal-kumaris/tree-text

Our featured intern this week is Madison Vandehey, a senior at UW-Madison studying Biology with certificates in Global Health and Environmental Studies: 

Oftentimes we hear of tragedies on the news, we see the faces of the people affected and the devastation that occurred. We feel a twinge of sadness in our moment of empathy for these people, but we eventually move on with our day because, after all, we are not the ones directly affected by these events. Sometimes when tragedies strike, they are so distant they almost feel unreal. We think to ourselves, “How does something like this happen?” and then retreat to living in a state of denial, because living in denial is easier than living in a world where terrible disasters occur.

I would hear of mass murders, bombings and natural disasters and I would push them out of my mind, not because I did not care, but because I did not want to believe the universe could be so cruel. However, when I heard of the earthquake devastating Nepal it was quite difficult to block it out of my mind considering I was supposed to travel there in less than a month with a class through UW-Madison. Seeing images of the very streets I was supposed to walk on covered in rubble, the buildings toppled over that I was supposed to see, the people injured whom I was supposed to meet felt surreal. But how could I truly grasp the devastation of the earthquake in Nepal when it felt so far away?

During the week following the earthquake, a candlelight vigil was held in Madison, Wisconsin in honor of the Nepali people. I attended this vigil with a few classmates of whom I was supposed to travel to Nepal with.

4. Search for "Sarvodaya USA Corporation"

5. Click the "Select" button

6. Begin Shopping!
7. When you checkout, part of the proceeds will now go to Sarvodaya USA

AmazonSmile is hosting “Prime Day” on July 15th. According to their website, they will have “more deals than Black Friday”. Not only will there be discounted merchandise, but you can now donate money while also saving money.


Thank you and happy shopping!


-- Sarvodaya USA

Hello friends of Sarvodaya!

Welcome to #MeetTheInternsMonday. We are happy to announce that Sarvodaya USA has taken on five interns for the summer. For the next few weeks, we will be posting blogs to introduce our student interns and what they’ll be working on this summer.

Our intern featured this week is Steph, a senior studying Neurobiology with a certificate in Global Health: 

In the early morning of April 25th, I awoke to the buzzing of my phone. My heart dropped a little as I was pulled from my daze, wondering why my mom was calling me so early. After she informed me of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal just hours earlier, there was only one emotion that followed: complete and utter denial. While my mind raced with concern for the people there, I couldn’t push the thought of whether our field course to Nepal in just a few weeks would be cancelled.

In the fall of 2014, fourteen other students and myself were accepted into the Community Health and Disparity program taking place in Nepal this summer. This three week course provided us the final credits we needed to complete the Global Health Certificate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During our time in Nepal, we were scheduled to meet with a variety of NGO’s, work with a rural village to provide labor in a community project and travel to multiple areas of the country. By the end of our experience, we would have gained insight into the state of public health in Nepal while learning about, and more importantly from, the Nepali culture.

For weeks after the earthquake, I anxiously waited as the University evaluated the feasibility of still going on the trip. As hard as I tried to not get my hopes up, I couldn’t help but convince myself there was something productive we could do to aid in the relief effort. I think you know where this story is going...I was crushed. I will never forget the overwhelming disappointment I felt as I read the email from our course coordinator, Sweta, regretfully informing us that there were too many safety concerns to justify going.

For weeks after that day, I struggled to find a way to earn the academic credit I was going to receive in Nepal toward my Certificate. I spent hours researching other programs abroad as well as more local options. No matter how amazing the experience, I simply could not get excited about any of my other options. After weeks of stressing as application deadlines approached, I had finally accepted the fact that I was too emotionally invested in Nepal to really consider any other options on such short notice. And that is what brought me here. I was more than relieved when I received another email from Sweta offering us the option to intern with Sarvodaya USA for the summer.

Over the course of the next 2 months, myself and a few other student interns will be collecting stories and up to date information from Nepal and posting them here. We will also be coordinating a few fundraisers to aid in the continued relief efforts in Nepal, so please follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to stay connected with us this summer. You can also subscribe to our email list here http://www.sarvodayausa.org/connect.html to recieve occasional emails summarizing what we’ve been up to.

Sam Trumbore is the minister at the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany, New York. He is co-author of the book Buddhist Voices in Unitarian Universalism, and a veteran with Buddhist practice and community-organizing.

Sam traveled to Sri Lanka in early 2014 to learn about Sarvodaya's interfaith community-organizing methods, and came away energized and full of great ideas.

Check out some of Sam's latest writings about Sarvodaya below.

To read more great writing from Sam, visit his Mostly Mindful Minister blog!

Why Sarvodaya Matters to the World

Some of you may be following my interest in a community development organization based in Sri Lanka called Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement (see sarvodaya.org for more information).  They have been organizing and developing villages across the country since 1958.  They are a strong organization with a core base of 3000 villages and a reach into 15000 villages in which they have done work.  I visited Sri Lanka in January to see the organization for myself and came home very impressed with the leaders I met, their organizational accomplishments and their training facilities scattered around the island I visited.

So here, in brief, is why the world needs to learn from their successes:

Shramadanas – The energy source for this organization is “shared, freely offered labor.”  A shramadana is a work camp to accomplish a goal mutually agreed upon goal for the good of the village.  This could be building a road, an irrigation canal, a latrine or a well.  It could be building a preschool or a community garden.  The camp requires people to work side by side with each other doing physical labor that will benefit the whole rather than themselves alone.  Community meals are prepared and eaten together.  The participants often meet together and worship together during the camp.  By the end, the community bonds are much stronger and the willingness to cooperate together in the future is greatly increased.  Over 55 years, Sarvodaya has learned a great deal about how to organize shramadanas in ways to maximize the potential for good outcomes and greater connection and community.  That “shramadana technology” could help build community around the world.

Bridging the Diversity Gap – One of the challenges in Sri Lanka, especially during and after the Sri Lankan civil war, is ethnic and religious diversity.  Tension between Tamil and Sinhala peoples and Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and Christians divide villages.  Sarvodaya intentionally works to be fully inclusive of that diversity within their leadership, hiring and in their organizational practices.  Shramadanas open with prayers from all the spiritual leaders of a village.  They have been doing this for 55 years, far longer than this has happened in many places around the world.  Many lessons can be learned here about how to do this effectively.

Development Goals – After the end of colonial rule by the British in 1948, ending 400 years of colonialism, the founder of Sarvodaya, A. T. Ariyaratne reached back before that time searching for Buddhist community organizing principles.  Part of the genius of the organization is his translation of the Buddha's vision of community into his development strategy.  In Buddhism, the goal for the lay person is developing a strong ethical foundation that will guide them toward enlightenment or awakening.  In Buddhist society, attaining material wealth is not the goal of life nor power over your neighbor but rather mutual awakening to the truths of existence.  He translated that into the goal of “no poverty and no affluence.”  The Buddha felt that one could not work toward awakening unless one's basic needs were satisfied.  But the pursuit of wealth, or conquest didn't lead toward peace and happiness.  Thus the goal for village development is both material satisfaction of needs and spiritual development toward awakening … for all.  The integration of material and spiritual development is a very important lesson the developed world needs to understand and learn from Sarvodaya.

Interfaith Spiritual Approach – Sarvodaya has managed to figure out how to integrate material and spiritual development using an interfaith approach.  They use four key Buddhist concepts of “metta” or loving-kindness, “karuna” or compassion, “muditha” or sympathetic joy, and “upekkha” or equanimity as grounding spiritual principles that translate across spiritual traditions.  Their work building this interfaith religious bridge could be very beneficial around the world where religious conflict divide communities.

Village Development Methods – Sarvodaya has used shramadanas to bridge diversity and build trust while developing very poor and oppressed villages, improving them in both material and spiritual ways.  Not only have they done the work, they have created an enduring network of those villages that form the governing base of the organization.  This is amazing all by itself during a time that spanned the civil war.  The unity they were able to retain across the north-south boundaries of the war are a testimony to the power of their organizing methods.  Their sophisticated village development methods move from psychological and social Infrastructure development and training, to the satisfaction of ten basic needs, to income, self-financing and employment finally to sharing with neighboring villages.  There is a wealth of practical development experience they have accumulated over their 55 years of work to share with the world.

Sarvodaya has not done any of this work perfectly and they are always in the midst of their own institutional challenges as is true of any organization.  From what I have seen in my short visit and what I have read about from the writings of authors who have documented the history of this movement, I know there is a gold mine of social technology they have discovered.  There is a great deal the world can learn from their collective experience and their inspired leadership that could be of great benefit.

We live in a time we will be forced either by climate change or by fossil fuel depletion to change course away from a material growth based economy.  Sarvodaya presents an alternative social model for building a society that is spiritually based rather than materially based.  Their social goal is human happiness rather than prosperity.  If we have a prayer of stopping the approaching train wreck of resource depletion and over consumption, we need a new model for what a good life can be.  I think Sarvodaya has one of the best we've come up with and we'd be wise to move in their direction.

Find more from Sam at the Mostly Mindful Minister blog!

Presently, Keliwatte residents obtain untreated water from an open stream. An alarming rate of young children contract diseases such as gastrointestinal distress and parasites as a result of drinking unsafe water. Villagers also face water shortages during dry seasons every year, putting their crops, livelihoods and health at risk. Thanks to a generous donation from Buddhist Global Relief, more than 400 village residents will have access to clean, healthy water.

Disparity in tea estates holds true in terms of access to water. Nationally, 12% of Sri Lankans must travel off site to retrieve water. This number rises to 40% within tea estates. 

Previously, Keliwatte residents obtained untreated water from an open stream. A Sarvodaya Rural Technical Service ‘Needs Assessment Survey’ revealed an alarming rate of young children had contracted diseases such as gastrointestinal distress and parasites as a result of drinking unsafe water.

The entire community suffered from the unsafe conditions caused by poor-quality drinking water. Those most vulnerable to water-borne diseases are children and the elderly. Parents’ absence from work plus fighting off parasites and digestive problems caused major financial setbacks for families who lived paycheck to paycheck. Children’s absence from school caused them to fall behind in their studies. Parents, in turn, missed more work to care for ill children, driving them deeper in debt.

Villagers faced annual water shortages during dry seasons, putting their crops, livelihoods and health at risk. This vicious cycle compounded the already crippling poverty faced by the community. Keliwatte residents joined together and identified water as their number one collective concern, and reached out to Sarvodaya for support.

The Keliwatte Gravity Water Supply Scheme (GWSS) Project serves the community in two critical capacities-

• Improving basic infrastructure
  
• Unifying and empowering the community

The Gravity Water Supply Scheme (GWSS) provides a sustainable and eco-friendly system to transport water from the new source to the village. The new system includes a filtration system (Ferro-cement roughing-style filter) and 30 cubic meter storage tank in addition to sending water directly into residents’ homes.

Accessible, clean water improves quality of life for Keliwatte residents by: 

• Reducing disease transmission 
  
• Improving general health
  
• Improving educational performance for children
  
• Improving safety for women who are vulnerable to assault while fetching water 
  
• Reducing personal economic loss due to water borne illness
  
• Providing consistent and accessible water supply for home gardens

The GWSS Project has built-in, long-term, community stewardship. Due to intensive community organizing, regular awareness programs and the implementation of ‘shramadana’, the community has developed a strong sense of ownership over the system. 

The water system is financially self-sustaining. Maintenance is managed by two designated caretakers who have been formally trained by Sarvodaya Rural Technical Services. Families that use the water system pay a small monthly fee used to pay caretakers’ wages and maintenance expenses.

The Keliwatte Project promotes healthy, sustainable, engaged communities that motivate and mobilize typically under-represented populations like children, women and minorities.

Sarvodaya USA, Sarvodaya Sri Lanka, and Keliwatte residents graciously thank Buddhist Global Relief for their donation that made this project possible.

More photos are available in this Facebook album.

Shristi Adhikari is a Teach for Nepal Fellow at Shree Chandeshwori School, Simle, Pyutar, Lalitpur. She is currently teaching English. Before joining Teach for Nepal, Shristi completed Bachelor’s of Information Technology from Kathmandu College of Management (KCM).

This photo essay was published on the Kathmandu Post on July 6, 2013

“What are you doing for your personal and professional development?” they ask me. This is one question that I am getting most often these days.

“The internet doesn’t work. So, have you taken any books to read?” he says.

“Have you started on your GRE practice book?” she asks.

“So, after all these years in business school, you end up teaching ABCD to the children?” they say.

"What are you doing for your personal development?” “What?”

And here I am. In a place called “Simle” which is not even 50 kilometers away from Kathmandu and yet, we expect a bus to move smoothly to and from the city only after Dashain (most probably).

“What am I doing for my personal development?” you ask me.

Do you know the clouds are actually floating under our feet here?

I would have missed it if I were busy reading a book based on someone else’s awesome adventure.

Do you know, for children here, arubokhada is the sweetest thing they have ever tasted?

I would have never realized it if I were busy eating oreos that are packed in my bags.

Do you know the hands of the children here look like the hands of a twenty-five year old man?

The amount of work they do every day is unimaginable.

Do you know planting trees is not enough for environment day celebration?

You have to actually work on protecting it against the grazing animals until the plants get bigger.

Do you know people here stay up almost half of the night making ‘khuwa’?

Milk gets ruined on the way to the market and is not possible to be sold. Yet, they say this place is a heaven now compared to the time few years ago when they had to walk all day to buy a packet of salt.

Do you know people here eat dead animals as well? Don’t judge them. That’s the result of “shortage”, my friend.

Do you know children here think “coconut” is a biscuit and not a fruit?

And when you ask students to write all the words they know in English, they give you this.

Yet, it makes you happy that they are willing to submit wrong answers without any fear.

Do you know research shows that the arts help children do better in all subjects and improve the likelihood that they will stay in school longer.

When you get greeting cards from the students telling you that you are like a ‘God’ to them, you start wondering.

There is so much to do, so much to achieve, so much to strive for but so little time.

This is more than any personal development I would have gotten sitting inside the four walls of an office making vouchers or business plans or preparing a presentation slide for tomorrow’s meeting.

P.S. – I have so many faces. Guess who am I?

In recognition of International Women’s day celebrated on March 8th, our March newsletter is about saluting amazing girls who are making difference in their community.

Mathma Gandhi once said, “You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation.”

In Nepal, students at Jyotidaya School are proving that true.

As the evening settles in Chapagaun of Lalitpur, a few women appear at local Jyotidaya School. Some are young and others are much older, but all come to the school to learn. The class is unusual in the sense that not just students but even their teachers are different.

The teachers are mostly ninth grade girls at Jyotidaya. They are part of Growing Service Leader (GSL) program, a ten month long leadership and service learning program run by Anuvuti International – a Sarvodaya Nepal’s partner.

The first phase of the program consisted leadership and life skill workshops where students learnt about goal setting, academic success, teamwork and communication and presentation skills. The interactive workshops made use of various games as learning techniques.

The second phase was all about understanding community and developing service program.

At Jyotidaya, the students identified illiteracy as a problem in their community.

“When discussing problems in the community we had a laundry list of things,” says Izu Regmi, a ninth grader at Jyotidaya. “But when we looked at it, we realized that education was the root cause of all the problems.”

To understand the issue further they went door to door, collected feedback, and found that illiteracy is pervasive in the community. So they decided to conduct literacy class to educate illiterate people in the community.

But it was not simply an intellectual exercise. For some students the problem began at their homes as the mothers of many of the participating students themselves were illiterate. So they decided to bring their mothers to the evening classes. “My mom also comes to the class,” says Nabina Deshar, a ninth grader.

“I am glad our daughters are taking these initiatives,” shares Mana Maya Deshar, Nabina’s mom. “Even today I can’t travel on my own or do anything,” she adds. When women can’t come to the school, students even go to homes and tutor women one to one.

“Earlier, I used to think it was for the adults to address all the social problems,” adds Izu of Jyotidaya. “I have now realized that we too have responsibility, and if we choose so, we can also make a difference,” she adds.

Jyotidaya was Nepal's first cooperative school, founded by Nepali young people in 1998 to serve disabled and underprivileged children. Sarvodaya USA championed and raised funds for the school construction, and continues to send volunteers to work there.