Sarvodaya Development Finance (SDF) was established by Sri Lanka’s oldest continuing social movement, the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement. The purpose was to support underserved rural economies and grass roots entrepreneurism in Sri Lanka, representing communities deemed ‘non-bankable’ by formal financial institutions. SDF fulfils its mission to foster sustainable development by providing not only a range of financial services, but also by conducting educational programmes on marketing and business management along with organising specialised marketing and promotional events, targeting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from all parts of the country.
SDF partners with over 3,500 Sarvodaya Shramadana Societies (SSS) in villages across Sri Lanka to channel development funds into grass roots projects.
The total workforce of SDF stood at 471 at the end of 2020. Their employees are primarily based in the Western Province, followed by the Central and North Central Provinces, respectively.