Shramadana: The Gift of Labor
We Build the Road. The Road Builds Us.
Students in Nepal built a trail and renovated a school.
Bulaki Chaur, a community of ethnic Tamangs in Nepal, is small, poor, and marginalized. Only about 80 people live in the community.
The village, on the top of mountain, is accessible only by a small foot path built about 30 years back. Until recently, part of the trail near the village was especially difficult to walk because of its steep, slippery slope.
Early in 2009, a group of high school students from Jyotidaya School went to the village. They worked with the community members to fix the trail. In the village they even begged for food, cooked and ate with their hosts and other visitors. At the end of the day, the trail was fixed, making it both easier and safer to walk.
In another shramadana program, high school students at Brihapasti School, a private school in Kathmandu, raised funds and helped renovate a village school. In the process, both the community and the students experienced the power of collective action and potential of transformation.
“There has been a candle lit inside us. That will keep burning now,” shared Brahma Jung Pandey, a student, who participated in the shramadana.
Shramadana is at the heart of Sarvodaya’s village development strategy. Over the years, the Sarvodaya Movement in Sri Lanka has brought millions of people together in their communities to build roads, schools, libraries, irrigation facilities and drinking water systems.
In 2009 alone, over a million people participated in shramadana activities benefitting almost two million of their fellow Sri Lankans. Similar efforts are building community spirit and capacities in Nepal.
You can watch the videos of shramadana programs on our YouTube page:
http://www.youtube.com/sarvodayausa
Now, neighborhoods are following this example in the United States. To join the movement, visit: www.startwhereyoulive.com
