Sri Lanka holiday & tsunami volunteer
| country: | Sri Lanka |
| departures: | 2008: 18 Oct |
| price: | From £1395 (15 days) including flights from the UK, from £995 excluding flights, single room supplement from £120 depending on season. This trip can also be booked without flights. |
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The Impact of the Tsunami: Galle was devastated by the tsunami, with hundreds killed. Your custom will therefore be much appreciated by the staff and their families as they seek to get back into business, as the loss of revenue from tourism in the months following the tsunami was severe. The world-class beach has been cleaned and debris removed to ensure that it is as beautiful now as it was before the tsunami hit.
Accommodation: Situated directly opposite the broad clean beach of Hikkaduwa, the Coral Sands Hotel has 75 en suite bedrooms, each with a beautiful view of the calm and crystal clear ocean. The rooms are air-conditioned, with a private balcony/ terrace, telephone and TV on request. There is a large garden, two swimming pools and a children’s pool, and the sea opposite the hotel is perfectly safe for swimming throughout the year.
Projects: Hikkaduwa was an area which was massively affected by the Boxing Day Tsunami and, years later, the area is still suffering the consequences. There are therefore a number of projects in the area which we will be supporting, many focusing on enabling people to escape poverty and return to self-sufficient livelihoods following the devastation. The projects are varied, ensuring that everyone on our trip will have something positive to contribute, and for those wanting to get their hands dirty – there will certainly be opportunities to work alongside the locals in helping renovate community buildings. Those with specific professional transferable skills can really make a difference through skill-sharing with their local colleagues, but there is something for everybody – all you need is enthusiasm! Past projects have included house reconstruction, refurbishment of essential buildings, teaching, helping out at local orphanages or elderly care homes, beach clearing, building libraries, work in a nursing training college and other general environmental works.
Optional Tours: Why not enhance your holiday with an optional few days spent sightseeing in the attractive area around Galle. We are delighted to offer a number of tours either during your two-week stay or by extending your holiday. Opportunities include the chance to see some of Sri Lanka's famous tea plantations, the beautiful city of Kandy with the sacred Dalada Maligawa, (Temple of the Tooth), and the world famous botanical gardens.
This type of trip is ideal for people who are unable to take very long periods off work but who are interested in volunteering to work with communities in need, or in wildlife conservation. These shorter trips combine volunteering with an opportunity to see the main sights in destinations. Find out more about 'taste of volunteering'|
One of the things we hope you get out of your working holiday is a sense of fulfilment at having made a difference to the lives of so many people. But we also want to make sure that you have opportunities to socialise with others in your party, and make friendships which will last a lifetime. We will make sure that there are plenty of opportunities for fun to help you relax and recharge your batteries after such valuable work.
Because our holidays are ‘carbon-neutral’ – we include the cost of off-setting in the price of our trips (not a an opt in/opt out extra). We only use hotels which have strong and positive links with local communities, and who have adopted environmentally responsible practices, such as limiting pollution, sound water management and recycling. We always try, wherever humanly possible, to use hotels which are locally owned, this ensuring the revenue benefits local people and NOT western/European/American corporates! Where this is not possible, we do our utmost to ensure that staff are treated with respect - especially in terms of salary and working conditions. We believe in 'Fair Trade' tourism and are members of Tourism Concern (www.tourismconcern.org.uk) We encourage minimising water usage, as many places lack sufficient water. We also encourage the use of environmentally safe detergent, as many places still flush water direct into rivers and the sea. We recommend avoiding using modern-style ‘moist toilet tissue’ which is very hard to naturally break down. Do not flush anything other than human waste down the toilet We oppose the exploitation of the environment, animals or indigenous peoples by tourists, or for tourists. We oppose prostitution and sex-tourism, which is always based upon exploitation. We oppose 'cultural imperialism', believes all cultures are equally valid and believes that indigenous cultures should be respected. Where cultures clash, dialogue and mutual understanding are essential. We believe that all holy sites should be respected, regardless of the religion they represent We try to be as 'paper free' as possible, and recycle wherever possible. We believe sustainable development can only be achieved through managed aid, fair trade and responsible tourism. We believe that life enhancing travel is not about seeing a place, but experiencing a place, its people, its cultures, foods and ways of life. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |