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CARE PROJECTS IN SRI LANKA
The children in Sri Lanka have the biggest smiles and the cutest brown
eyes… they will melt your heart the moment you meet them!
We work with a local
NGO that has numerous wonderfully worthwhile care projects in Sri Lanka.
We work with four different projects:
-
Abandoned Children's Project - An
orphanage for young children that have been abandoned. You'll help
to provide vital care, love and support to these adorable children.
-
Teenage Mother's
Project - A remarkable opportunity to work with teenagers who have
been incestuously raped. Out of an abominably distressing situation
this centre is bring hope to these mothers, providing them a safe
and happy environment during and after pregnancy. -
Street Children Project - The opportunity to work with delightful
children who have had a hard time in life. The centre provides them
a safe place to visit Monday - Friday, to receive three square meals, an
education and to meet other friends! -
Disabled School - A wonderful school that provides physically
disabled children an education. There are 30 children between the
ages of 3 and 20 and with 5 teachers (and occasionally parents to
help out and make the tea,) this gives the children the perfect
opportunity to learn in an informal, relaxed environment.
All
of these fantastic projects are perfect if you have a passion for
children and a desire to help a less fortunate community. You may have
the chance to work at one or all of the projects. If you have a special
interest please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate it!
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►SUMMARY
FACTFILE |
| Start Dates |
All year round - you choose your
start and finish dates! |
|
Duration |
Minimum stay 2 weeks and up to 1 year, subject to visa
requirements |
| Requirements |
No qualifications needed, just a
big heart and a desire to provide care and support. |
|
Price |
From £895 /
US$1,345 for 2
weeks, ranging to £1,845 / US$2,770
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
►Two free T-shirts. |
|
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
At each of these projects you will be making a difference
to the lives of underprivileged children. You may volunteer at one of
these worthwhile projects or at a combination of projects.
You do not need to
have any prior qualifications and this project can also be combined with
some teaching or sports coaching in the local government schools to older
children if you wish to add some variety to your placement. It can also be
combined with any of our exciting conservation projects if you wish to
do something totally different!
Your
supervisor for all the projects will be Bandula. He works closely with
the volunteers to make sure that they are happy in their projects. He
works from the NGO's head office. Roshan (the Travellers Sri Lanka Country
Manager) or one of his staff, will take you to the headquarters on the
first day, there you will meet Bandula and can discuss your volunteer
programme with him. During your programme, if you have any concerns or
any special requests you can contact him, and of course Roshan will
always be available!
ABANDONED
CHILDREN'S PROJECT
This centre is for orphaned and abandoned children.
There are three separate rooms for children of different age groups:
-
Babies
-
1-2 Year Olds
-
2-5 Year Olds
The
children are all adorable and would love you to come and play with them!
Your main duties will be to play with the children, help to feed them
and to develop relationships with them. The children (and most of the
staff at this centre) speak very little English but have massive hearts
and smiles. They will be really grateful for your help and attention and
will welcome you with open arms. You will fit in in no time and will
have great fun keeping the children occupied and imparting a few words of
English to all. The women that work in the centre will also be grateful
to learn a few more words of English! You'll find that although there is
a language barrier, it can easily be overcome with hand gestures and
smiles! This placement is really fantastic if you're full of energy and
enthusiasm! Any ideas you have for simple games will also be
appreciated!
At
this centre there is also an older girl, of approximately 10 years old,
who received severe burns to her head, face and hands as a baby. She's
now being supported by an American sponsor and regularly flies to the
USA for treatment. She is full of life and energy and is the bubbliest,
loveliest girl you will ever meet! She also speaks perfect English and
is wonderfully confident and friendly!!
TEENAGE
MOTHER'S PROJECT
It is usual on arrival, to find this project a little
distressing. It is a centre for girls under the age of 18, who have been
incestuously raped and become pregnant as a result. There are, on
average, about 10 teenage mothers at the centre at a time. Some of these
mothers will be pregnant, some will have already given birth.
BUT....when you look beyond this, you see
the brilliant work that this centre is doing! From an awful situation
the girls are being given a second chance to not only recover from an
awful, traumatic experience, but they are being offered much much
more...
The girls are offered a real chance for
rehabilitation by receiving education (such as Sinhalese and English
classes, along with IT lessons.) They are also given mental stimulation
through activities such as dance classes. Lastly, they are offered the
fantastic chance to further their training and learn skills such as
baking, or handicraft making, so that once they leave the centre they
can make a living for themselves.
The sorts of crimes that the girls have
been subjected to are treated very seriously in Sri Lanka and every girl
will either have had or be in the process of a court case against their
perpetrator. The perpetrator could receive up to 35 years imprisonment
for such a crime.
At the project, you will have the chance
to work with these courageous girls. The work will be varied as you will
mainly be encouraged to help and supervise their classes and
activities. If you would like to, you may also teach some of their English
lessons. You will also have the chance to help them look after their
babies.
STREET
CHILDREN PROJECT
This project is another brilliantly worthwhile
endeavour. You'll mainly be working at the Pre-School Children Day
Shelter, which has between 20-30 children in regular attendance. The
children are dropped off by their parents any time after 6.30am (for an
official start time of 8.30am) and are picked up at 6.30pm. This allows
the parents a full 12 hours to work and earn a little money for the
family. All of the children either live in the very poor slum area of
Colombo, or are literally without a home or roof at all.
The children receive an education at the
centre along with time to play with their peers and three proper meals
a day. There is one teacher, two assistants and a project officer in the
Pre-School area. If the children's massive smiles haven't already melted
your heart then these four ladies will - they will make you feel
instantly welcome! The head teacher, Anula, is friendly and bubbly and
her English is great! She's worked at the centre for 20 years and is
very very proud of her achievements - and so she should be! Ask to look
at her photo albums and she will tell you the stories of all of the children that have
been to the centre. She'll be brimming with pride as she tells you of
their accomplishments thanks to the education and support they received
from the project.
Every Tuesday some volunteers visit from
an International School in Colombo. They are older than the pre-school
children but will be under the age of 18. They come to play games with
the children, sing, dance and generally have a great time! The children
look forward to this every week.
Your main duties will be to muck in and
help wherever is needed. You will be needed to supervise the children,
play with them and help out in the lessons. There is also a non-formal
education centre for older children (from ages 5-14) who receive 4 hours
of teaching, 3 times a week. This centre is location right next to the
Pre-School and you are welcome to help with classes here as well.
Special help is always needed with the English lessons.
DISABLED
SCHOOL
There are roughly 30 students in this school, between
the ages of 3 and 22. There are a range of disabilities at the centre,
from muteness to forms of autism, epilepsy and cystic fibrosis. This
centre is uplifting as the children would not get the chance for an
education without this project.
There are 5 teachers in total at the
centre. All of them only speak a few words of English, but always manage
to communicate with the volunteers! Through hand gestures and smiles you
will get by and get your point across!
There are also usually one or two parents
who will stay for the school day (which runs from 8am - 12pm.) They will
assist with the activities and make tea for the break at 10.30am.
During the break time the children have the chance to play sports, which
they would be eternally grateful if you joined them in playing!
On your first day you will be accompanied
by Roshan (the Travellers Sri Lanka Manager) or Nirangela (the Assistant
Manager) who will help you communicate, find your feet and work out your
role at the school.
The children participate in a range of
activities whilst in the school. These range from formal educational
lessons, such as Maths, to therapeutic activities, such as art and
playing with water. You'll be able to take part in all the lessons and
it would be very appreciated if you could teach some conversational English
to the children and the teachers.
WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:
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!
LOCATION:
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.
Ja-Ela and Gampaha
(where the school is based)
are small bustling towns on the west coast - an excellent position for
exploring the stunning beaches in the south. Both locations are only a few
hours drive from the famous
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, where you can also volunteer!
There
are an abundance of fascinating places to visit. From towering Pagodas,
Hindu temples and ancient fortresses to holy rivers and sacred
mountains, Sri Lanka is blessed with a sense of deep spirituality and
history. The local people are extremely welcoming and friendly,
especially in the rural areas. The tea plantations are a must, the lace
making, monuments and architectural splendours,
etc., but the most appealing is the Elephant Orphanage at
Pinnawala. Not to be missed! It's an
emotive sight that will send you away with memories you'll never forget!
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