The Kalutara Bōdhi Trust (KBT) was established in 1951 through the pioneering efforts of Sir Cyril de Zoysa, Proctor SC and Notary Public, a successful and prominent lawyer of the Kalutara Bar and a great philanthropist.

Sir Cyril garnered the support of six successful lawyers, who enthusiastically committed themselves to establishing the Kalutara Bōdhi Trust. He offered the chair to Sir Ernest de Silva with the other founding trustees being Mr. Hema Basnayake QC (who went on to become the Chief Justice), Mr. V.T. de Zoysa, Sir Cyrilʼs younger brother and an Advocate of distinction, Mr. P.F.A. Gunatilaka, Mr. Wilson de Silva, Mr. H.A. de Abrew and Mr. V.L. Wijemanne. The establishment up of this trust paved the way for the steady and growing swell of humanitarian work that has flowed ever since.

Initially confined to the Kalutara region, the scope of work has since expanded with humanitarian assistance now spread far and wide across the country. Founded upon Buddhist principles, and as the name suggests, with the protection and nurturing of the sacred and historic Bō Tree of Kalutara being one of its primary objectives, KBT’s vision nevertheless embraces people of all races, castes and creeds with the sole criteria for qualifying for assistance being “need”.

KBT is a not-for-profit organisation with its key strength being a diverse pool of resources and a broad-based network of distribution.