R. Rajamahendran Award for Humanitarian Leadership announced by Clinton School and Gammadda

Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas in the US, and the Gammadda Movement have announced the R. Rajamahendran Award for Humanitarian Leadership, as part of their ongoing International Public Service Leadership Program partnership.

The award, named in honour of the Gammadda Movement Founder the late R. Rajamahendran, will recognise students who align with the founder’s values and principles, whilst demonstrating driven progress towards achieving his or her potential in the public service sphere.

University of Arkansas Faculty Director Nicola Driver noted that the partnership with Gammadda was one of “the most impactful that she had seen” during her time at the Clinton School. “This award further exemplifies the commitment to a positive educational experience for our students and to sustainable social change,” she added.

Located on the grounds of the William J. Clinton Presidential Centre and Park in Little Rock, the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service is the first graduate school in the United States to offer a Master of Public Service (MPS) degree, helping students further their careers in the areas of government, non-profit, volunteer and private sector service.

The IPSP Program partnership between the Clinton School and Gammadda has successfully completed three years, with students from the Clinton School completing several theses relevant to rural Sri Lanka, which are then used to address the matters studied during the program.

“The R. Rajamahendran Award of Humanitarian Leadership (will) ultimately serve the legacy of R. Rajamahendran. We are honoured and thankful to deepen our partnership with Gammadda in this way after three successful years of collaboration,” said International Programs Director Tiffany Jacob.

The R. Rajamahendran Award for Humanitarian Leadership will be conferred annually, with the recipient being recognised as an emerging global leader.

The Gammadda Movement is perhaps Sri Lanka’s largest grassroots initiative, operating in all parts of the island nation and supporting rural communities by developing rural infrastructure and providing the most basic needs. The Gammadda Philosophy, which is the set of values and principles set out by R. Rajamahendran upon which Gammadda operates, has been studied at several leading universities around the world.