Sri Lanka community work with children

Marco Polo described the island of Sri Lanka as the finest of its size in the world and he obviously knew his stuff. Legend has it that it’s shaped like a tear drop because the mainland was so upset to see the island become cut off, and we can understand what they mean. But their loss is your gain because left to its own devices it has developed a unique natural environment full of surprises for you to enjoy. Save some energy for the project though because you can make a real difference to young people's lives by providing support with homework and English language lessons, as well as generating creative play through games, sports, singing, dancing and drama. Our TEFL certification is included to help you make a big difference. 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 to your allocated project.

The projects are based around Colombo and in the hill country of Sri Lanka near Kurunegala. Colombo is a bustling, vibrant city close to the coast, where you will be well placed for travel to other parts of the island and will have easy access to local amenities. The project in Colombo is in a quieter area just on the outskirts. The projects around Kurunegala are in the rural central hill country. Your accommodation will be in a shared room in a homestay or a shared room at the project. Meals will be provided for you.

Please book your flight to arrive into Colombo on the advertised arrival date to ensure your airport pickup. Please note that we can normally arrange for an airport pick up at an additional fee if you are arriving early, please contact the office to arrange. In Sri Lanka, we work with a variety of different community development projects based around Colombo and the hill country. Many of the projects are orphanages or children's homes which house between 20 and 300 children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Generally, the ages of the children range from about 7 to 18, although some of the homes also care for infants. Many of the projects receive very little government funding and rely on charitable donations to care for the children, who often have very few possessions or clothing. The organisations we work run various initiatives for young people or for the poorest people in Sri Lanka, including English lessons, social activities and youth camps. The projects that we work with offer valuable support to children or young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, many of whom are orphans. While many of the young people at the projects have access to education provided by the government, they are usually unable to benefit from it fully due to the many complexities in their lives.

The support that our volunteers provide allows many of the young people to improve their English skills, which will create more opportunities for them, and to learn about a new culture. Often, the staff members do not have time to give attention to all of the children, and they will really benefit from spending time and doing creative activities with volunteers. Volunteers at this project should have a genuine love of children and young people. Although you do not require any special skills, any experience working with children or young people would be valuable. Volunteers must be able to use their initiative and be motivated to work without guidance. Volunteers should be patient, compassionate, resourceful and imaginative.

You may become involved in a variety of activities, including homework support, arts and crafts activities, games, songs and social education. All of the projects involve an element of English teaching, but the amount required and the method of teaching will vary from project to project.

Your schedule will be flexible and will depend on the needs of the project. You may be asked to help the staff members improve their English or IT skills, or you may become involved with fundraising or improving the appearance of the project. You may also be involved in various extra curricular activities such as dancing, music, art and craft.