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!

"I have loved my time in Sri Lanka - I wish I had planned my trip earlier so that I could have done a month’s placement! I am so pleased that I have done this and will miss the people I met and the children I worked with a lot AND/OR I normally played with toddler group outside in the first hour, then had tea break before going in to play with and look after the babies. Often changed nappies, helped feed babies on occasion, some volunteers helped with showers on the appropriate days..." Emily Henderson

►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 £895 / US $1,345 for 2 weeks, ranging to £2,195 / US $3,295 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:

• Accommodation and Living in Sri Lanka

• Travel and Visas

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:

• 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!

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!

Enhance your Programme with some exciting activities:

MAP OF SRI LANKA

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