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COACH FOOTBALL TO DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN IN JA-ELA

SRI LANKA

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COACH FOOTBALL IN SRI LANKA FROM 2 WEEKS TO 6 MONTHS. Sri Lanka is an exotic island, famous for its 1,600 kilometres of unspoilt, golden beaches and diverse climate zones. It is the proverbial paradise island! 

You'll work in schools for the poorer children and the underprivileged section of the community in JA-ELA, midway between Colombo and the popular Indian Ocean resort of Negombo, and the football coaching project is very popular with the children. Sri Lankans are very friendly, hospitable and welcoming, if somewhat laidback and in no-rush mode to get things done!

SUMMARY FACTFILE
Start Dates All year round - you choose your start and finish dates!
Duration Minimum stay 1 week up to 3 months, subject to visa restrictions
Requirements No qualifications needed, just a big heart and a desire to provide care and support.
Price From £945 / US $1,420 for 2 weeks, ranging to £1,995 / US $2,995 for 12 weeks.
Full Price List and other Currencies

What's included Accommodation Food Meeting you at the Airport Transfer to your accommodation Full pre-departure support Local in-country team support and backup 24-hr emergency support Free T-shirt.
What's not included Flights, Insurance, Cost of Visas (if a visa is required, but we'll provide necessary documents and assistance).
Who can do this Project? All our projects are open to all nationalities.
Unless otherwise stated, you need to be aged between 17 and 70+

Also on this page:

PROJECT OVERVIEW
A few years ago, a group of five Travellers volunteers with lots of initiative went to Sri Lanka to coach football to the children, the first football coaching that Travellers had provided the children. This project was so hugely successfully and the children loved so much that we've continued it ever since. At the end of their project, the five volunteers reported that the children showed "vast improvement" and that the school's under 17s team had won four out of their last six matches! Your work will help to continue our football programme.

WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:

  • An exciting, never-to-be-forgotten adventure into South East Asia and the Sri Lankan culture.

  • The enormous satisfaction of helping disadvantaged children and seeing how your efforts are making a difference to them.

  • New skills, more confidence, a greater understanding of a different culture, invaluable personal and professional development.

  • An entry on your CV or résumé that will put you head and shoulders above most others in the job market

  • And best of all ... an unforgettable experience!

WORK CONTENT:
The schools we help cater for the poorer and underprivileged children and have about 400 to 500 pupils aged 5 to 16 years old. You'll coach at a number of schools. The facilities are basic but the children are excited about playing football and being coached by our volunteers. The pitches in Sri Lanka are typically gravel and dirt pitches, which makes the game of football very quick and exciting as it is played at a very different pace and style to European football.

The schools have very limited sports equipment and facilities, but lots of enthusiasm. You'll work with the teachers to create and coach school teams that will play in the inter-schools Travellers Football Tournaments which you'll organise with the schools as part of your placement.  The tournaments were established to provide the children with the opportunity to play football competitively, which many of the children haven't had, so towards the end of your placement, you may be able to organise a tournament that brings together all the schools you've been working with to play against each other.

In the past volunteers have organised very successful football tournaments which have been the highlight of the year for the children at the school given the honour to represent there school. We provide you with a manual on how to run a tournament.

You can combine a sports football placement with a one-month placement in the Elephant Orphanage.

FREE COACHING MANUALS
As a volunteer sports coach with Travellers, you have access to a large number of coaching manuals for each sport - these manuals have been produced in-house by our Sports Manager. These manuals are very useful and will help you to plan coaching sessions for your students.

Got any questions? Please email us:
info@travellersworldwide.com

   

Coaching football in Sri Lanka


 
Got any questions? Please email us:
info@travellersworldwide.com


Enhance your Programme with some exciting activities:
1-Wk Elephant Orphanage

Meditation Course


Volunteer Feedback

Photo Galleries
Diary of Life in Sri Lanka


 

 

VOLUNTEER'S REPORT ON HIS COACHING EXPERIENCE:

Firstly, may I thank you for enabling me to have possibly the best six months ever. Sri Lanka is a beautiful country and the people are wonderfully kind and generous. Mr Roshan was extremely helpful and kind, both during our voluntary placement and during our return from travel.

The Coaching in the schools was a huge success and I hope that Travellers will be able to undertake similar projects in the years to come. Myself, Richard Anderson and David Ruddle all concentrated the majority of our time to WP/NG Ekala Maha Vidgalama School, with Ian and Trevor Snelling concentrating on St. Joesph's School. All five of us also taught at WP/NG Christ King's National College, Tudella, during the afternoon 2-3 times weekly. 

The students all seemed to enjoy the coaching immensely and showed vast improvement during the three months. As the program came to an end we arranged a tournament between the schools which was a HUGE success!

One important point we realised early on was the benefit of consistency in the same coaches teaching the same children. We developed an amazing rapport with the children and it made it a joy to teach them. When we used to arrive at the school in the morning the children would literally mob us, it really was an amazing experience, so thank you very very much.

Thanks again for the experience of a life time. 
Michael Ecclestone

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ACCOMMODATION, TRAVEL, AND LIVING IN SRI LANKA
We cannot BEGIN to tell you how beautiful this paradise island is! Nor how cheap to live and get around.  It is almost too good to be true! But it is true.  And there are so many fascinating places to visit.  The tea plantations are a must, the lace making, monuments and architectural splendours,  etc., but the most appealing is the Elephant Orphanage at Pinnawala.

Accommodation:
Travellers has a traditional Sri Lankan house in Ja-Ela. It has marble floors and 13 bathrooms! It is spacious and comfortable, with a garden, several balconies, two lounge rooms and many bedrooms. You will most likely share a room with other Travellers volunteers. There is a TV and DVD player for evening entertainment, in the upstairs lounge area and with the latest DVD copies just a pound to buy locally, there is usually something to watch!

A chief will cook all your meals and we have other staff at the house 24 hours a day for cleaning, assistance, security and comfort.

Teaching, Work Experience and the Colombo Zoo placements are all based in Ja-Ela and so the house is often full and offers a lively, sociable atmosphere – there is usually no shortage of friends to spend weekends at the beach with! Ja-Ela volunteers also have the advantage of easy access to Colombo’s facilities, major bus stations and also the Airport Gardens Hotel - a luxury hotel which offers facilities that include a fantastic swimming pool. The hotel is only a short trip away from the volunteer house: perfect for those lazy afternoons!

There is a local live-in cook at the Travellers house who will prepare your breakfast, lunch and dinner each day, throughout the week. The food is usually local cuisine which means lots of curry, rice and salads. Whether a curry fan or not, you will be by the time you return as Sri Lankan food is delicious! You can buy snacks and treats, including a growing variety of Western tastes (chocolate!) from the local store. There is also a KFC in Ja-Ela for those who need a fix of home.

The area of Ja-Ela is an industrialised town and although it is not one of the paradise beauty spots, it's a good point at which to start your exploration of the island's many beaches and beautiful inland resorts.

Climate: In the lowlands the climate is typically tropical with an average temperature of 27OC in Colombo. In the higher elevations it can be quite cool with temperatures going down to 16OC at an altitude of nearly 2,000 metres. Bright, sunny warm days are the rule and are common even during the height of the monsoon - climatically Sri Lanka has no off-season. 

TRAVEL:
To read about Travel arrangements and what happens when you arrive in your new country, please click here.

Support & Backup: To read about the excellent Support & Backup we provide before you leave and during your programme, please click here.
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Got any questions? Please email us:
info@travellersworldwide.com

IF YOU LIKED THIS, YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN THESE PROJECTS TOO ...
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Read more...
COACHING FOOTBALL IN INDIA:
Children in India are wonderful to teach and incredibly enthusiastic about learning sport. The School Principals say that the children have also learned life skills from the team work and gained tremendous confidence in themselves.
Read more...



Got any questions? Please email us:
info@travellersworldwide.com

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Last modified: July 12, 2011