Community project in Sri Lanka
| country: | Sri Lanka |
| departures: | Up to four departures a month on Fridays and Sundays throughout the year |
| price: | From £845 (2 weeks) excluding flights, plus £100 per additional week up to a maximum of 12. We can help arrange flights from the UK. |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Volunteers are needed to provide long-term assistance in Tsunami-affected areas along the south coast of Sri Lanka. Support is required in a variety of settings from temporary housing camps to community centres. The nature of the work will depend on the needs of each project, so tasks could include playing with children, teaching English or encouraging local people to become self-reliant.
Further activities may include clearing rubbish from beaches, planting trees and renovating damaged buildings, so flexibility is essential.
Placement details:
We are aiming to provide ongoing, long-term assistance to communities along the south-west coast of Sri Lanka, which were affected by the Tsunami in December 2004. Volunteers will offer support to adults and children in a number of different settings, including temporary housing camps, community centres, schools and orphanages. This support may take a variety of forms, depending on need, but volunteers will primarily be teaching English, organising recreational activities, and providing entertainment for the children. Another objective of the project is to empower local people, encourage self-reliance and support them in setting up income-generating ventures where possible.
We are working in partnership with local NGOs and community members in order to ensure that our help is directed to where it is most needed. Therefore, volunteers may also be asked to get involved with a wide range of other community projects which need extra help. These might include clearing rubbish from beaches to improve the cleanliness and appearance of the local environment; planting trees along the shore to protect against another Tsunami; building gardens; clearing out damaged houses; painting classrooms and assisting with health programmes.
Why the placement needs volunteers:
We are working with local NGOs and community members, who do not have the resources to provide vital support to their communities without the assistance of volunteers. The extra pairs of hands, advice and experience our volunteers bring to the projects can allow them to develop in new directions and improve the lives of more families. In particular, the support that our volunteers provide may allow adults and children to gain valuable English language skills, which will create more opportunities for them in the future.
What kind of skills you need to go on this type of placement:
The most important skill you must bring to this placement is flexibility, as the work will vary depending on the needs of the projects and will develop over time. This placement would suit a volunteer with a lot of initiative, who can work and communicate with people from all walks of life. Team-work skills will be needed, as well as an appreciation of cultural differences. You will be working in hot, basic conditions with few resources, and is important that you are reasonably fit and don’t mind getting your hands dirty.
Your role as a volunteer:
Your role will be to assist local staff with ongoing community projects, with the overall aim of rebuilding and supporting Tsunami-affected communities. The main activities will be teaching informal English, organising sports and games, and improving the lives of local families in whatever small way you can. Working in partnership with local NGOs and community members, you may also be required to get involved in conservation activities such as cleaning debris from beaches and planting trees. You could even find yourself painting classrooms, clearing rubble from damaged houses or building gardens.
Where the placement is based:
You will spend your first night at a guesthouse in Mount Lavinia, a coastal area of Colombo with several beachside restaurants. After an orientation meeting the following morning, you will be transported down the coast to the project site. We are working in several locations on the south-west coast, including Kosgoda and Galle.
Please ensure that your flight arrives at Colombo Airport (airport code CMB) on the designated arrival date to ensure your airport pick-up.
Further activities may include clearing rubbish from beaches, planting trees and renovating damaged buildings, so flexibility is essential.
Placement details:
We are aiming to provide ongoing, long-term assistance to communities along the south-west coast of Sri Lanka, which were affected by the Tsunami in December 2004. Volunteers will offer support to adults and children in a number of different settings, including temporary housing camps, community centres, schools and orphanages. This support may take a variety of forms, depending on need, but volunteers will primarily be teaching English, organising recreational activities, and providing entertainment for the children. Another objective of the project is to empower local people, encourage self-reliance and support them in setting up income-generating ventures where possible.
We are working in partnership with local NGOs and community members in order to ensure that our help is directed to where it is most needed. Therefore, volunteers may also be asked to get involved with a wide range of other community projects which need extra help. These might include clearing rubbish from beaches to improve the cleanliness and appearance of the local environment; planting trees along the shore to protect against another Tsunami; building gardens; clearing out damaged houses; painting classrooms and assisting with health programmes.
Why the placement needs volunteers:
We are working with local NGOs and community members, who do not have the resources to provide vital support to their communities without the assistance of volunteers. The extra pairs of hands, advice and experience our volunteers bring to the projects can allow them to develop in new directions and improve the lives of more families. In particular, the support that our volunteers provide may allow adults and children to gain valuable English language skills, which will create more opportunities for them in the future.
What kind of skills you need to go on this type of placement:
The most important skill you must bring to this placement is flexibility, as the work will vary depending on the needs of the projects and will develop over time. This placement would suit a volunteer with a lot of initiative, who can work and communicate with people from all walks of life. Team-work skills will be needed, as well as an appreciation of cultural differences. You will be working in hot, basic conditions with few resources, and is important that you are reasonably fit and don’t mind getting your hands dirty.
Your role as a volunteer:
Your role will be to assist local staff with ongoing community projects, with the overall aim of rebuilding and supporting Tsunami-affected communities. The main activities will be teaching informal English, organising sports and games, and improving the lives of local families in whatever small way you can. Working in partnership with local NGOs and community members, you may also be required to get involved in conservation activities such as cleaning debris from beaches and planting trees. You could even find yourself painting classrooms, clearing rubble from damaged houses or building gardens.
Where the placement is based:
You will spend your first night at a guesthouse in Mount Lavinia, a coastal area of Colombo with several beachside restaurants. After an orientation meeting the following morning, you will be transported down the coast to the project site. We are working in several locations on the south-west coast, including Kosgoda and Galle.
Please ensure that your flight arrives at Colombo Airport (airport code CMB) on the designated arrival date to ensure your airport pick-up.
Volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you are looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
how this holiday makes a difference
This project has been set up to restore the beaches along Sri Lanka's western and southern coast, following the devastation caused by the Asian tsunami on December 26th 2004. The project will bring together local and foreign volunteers, and will involve the participation of social workers, local residents, and school children, in compliance with government policies. Work will initially be carried out in Mount Lavinia, Dehiwala and Moratuwa and will gradually move down the coast to Kalutara, Galle, Matara, Tangalle and Hambantota.
In the aftermath of the tsunami disaster, entire coastal regions of Sri Lanka remain devastated and unclean. Beaches are littered with debris, such as polyurethane, tree branches and clothing, and these areas are breeding grounds for disease, making them unsuitable for habitation. There is a huge amount of restoration work to be done, and the input from foreign volunteers will be an enormous help to the local people who are trying to rebuild their community. Volunteers are also needed to assist with environmental education programmes within the local community.
In the aftermath of the tsunami disaster, entire coastal regions of Sri Lanka remain devastated and unclean. Beaches are littered with debris, such as polyurethane, tree branches and clothing, and these areas are breeding grounds for disease, making them unsuitable for habitation. There is a huge amount of restoration work to be done, and the input from foreign volunteers will be an enormous help to the local people who are trying to rebuild their community. Volunteers are also needed to assist with environmental education programmes within the local community.