Last 1 September, the   ANGOC Secretariat was     extremely honoured by the   visit of one of its founders,   Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne, widely   known for his outstanding   work in empowering   grassroots communities in   Sri Lanka and founding the   Sarvodaya movement. Dr.   Ari, himself a Ramon   Magsaysay laureate, was   in town to attend the Asia Forum held in commemoration of the Ramon Magsaysay Foundation’s 50th anniversary. ANGOC seized this rare opportunity for staff to be inspired by the wisdom of Dr. Ari.   Dr. Ari was also accompanied by his colleague, Mr. Arjuna Krishnaratne,  who shared with the staff Sarvodaya’s work. The Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, from its humble beginnings in 1958, now employs some 3,000 staff and involves 15,000 villages, making it the biggest grassroots organisation in Sri Lanka. “Sarvodaya” refers to awakening of all, and at all levels and at dimensions; deep-rooted spirituality permeates its programs. Its vision is that of self-reliance, and itself is a self-sustaining people’s movement with broad-based community support. Its portfolio of programs includes village development, community capacity building, tsunami reconstruction, rural infrastructure, legal empowerment, youth, peace, health and education.   Dr. Ari urged the ANGOC Network to address the diversity of challenges to development. Apathy and indifference to the plight of the poor have grown alongside conflict situations and crises on health and energy [and more recently, food and finances]. He likewise suggested affiliates to evaluate the work that ANGOC has done, with a focus on best practices as well as things to avoid. Dr. Ariyaratne said that “survival itself is proof that we are doing the right thing” and that the “only way to survive is to be strong.” As ANGOC celebrates its 30th anniversary, these are certainly inspirational tidbits for both the Network and Secretariat.