The Arya Yuvuk Sabha (AYS)

The Arya Samaj Movement was founded in India in 1875 by Swami Dayanand Saraswati. Amongst its aims were to improve the rights of women and children and the education of girls.

On 19 April 1912, a small group of young men met in Durban to form the Arya Yuvuk Sabha, under the leadership of Swami Shankaranand. Founder member of the Arya Yuvak Sabha, Mr DG Satyadeva, then rallied community members together and in 1921 a wood and iron building in Cato Manor was built to house the homeless. It was then known as the Arya Anarth Ashram, which loosely translated became known as the Aryan Benevolent Home (ABH).