U.S. Links Peace with Volunteer Day Gala
COLOMBO – December 5, 2006: The history of the United States shows the strong link between volunteerism and development. Americans are equally aware that the ties between peace and development are strong.
In that spirit, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) joined a broad partnership between United Nations agencies and several national government ministries to commemorate International Volunteers Day in a way that inspires Sri Lankan civil society to address the ethnic crisis and the development challenges driving the conflict.
Speaking at Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium, Ambassador Robert Blake shared some thoughts on the spirit of volunteerism that has helped the United States prosper and grow over the last two and a quarter centuries, and the degree to which he sees a similar spirit in Sri Lanka.
“Americans early on developed the habit of depending on themselves and their communities before turning to their government to solve their problems, and long have demonstrated their eagerness to build public institutions and help their fellow citizens by donating their time, labor and money,” Ambassador Blake said. “The evident zest that President Rajapakse and so many Sri Lankans have in celebrating this day is testament to the spirit of voluntarism and giving in this beautiful country.”
The USAID-sponsored portion of the Tuesday evening’s event brought together the Ministry of Sports & Youth Affairs, Ceylon Tourist Board, national and international volunteer organizations, Business for Peace Alliance, major schools in Colombo, eminent national-level artists, and other local and international celebrities to generate greater support for the Sri Lankan peace process as well as celebrate the spirit of volunteerism.
USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) has made extensive use of the Sri Lankan volunteer tradition of shramadana; particularly in post-tsunami community cleanup and small infrastructure reconstruction projects in the South and East during the last two years.
For Tuesday’s event, OTI engaged two renowned artistic directors and more than 100 artists to develop a cultural pageant called “The Rhythms and Colors of Sri Lanka,” a 20 minute presentation from eight multi-ethnic schools in Colombo.
In closing, Ambassador Blake quoted America’s greatest civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who said “Life's most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others?”