Sri Lanka Volunteer Projects

You can choose your own project, and combine different projects and create your own tailor-made unique Sri Lanka volunteer program. You can start every Monday, and you can join from 1 week up to 8 weeks.

Location: Sri Lanka
Start Dates: Start every Monday
Duration: 1 week – 8 weeks

The Projects in Sri Lanka

Culture Week

Travel to visit this beautiful island country located in the Indian Ocean, surrounded by beautiful beaches and exotic Buddhist temples!

Travel around this amazing country to experience and get introduced to in-depth knowledge of the ancient traditions, culture, language, temples, and Buddhist Monasteries. witness an ancient dance concert, taste amazing food, experience yoga, and much more!

The best way to embrace Sri Lanka in its rich history, culture and traditions, is to go through the Culture Week held in Kandy. During this week we will describe the “Do’s” and “Don’ts” regarding safety, transportation, and females traveling alone. Get acquainted with Buddhism, and the mysterious mythology behind the culture, and visit a few temples including the most sacred ‘temple of the tooth’.

Enrich your experience with language sessions and be able to talk to the locals, get to know how a traditional Ayurvedic massage feels like, witness an ancient Kandyan dance performance, and last but not least, get to look, smell, and taste Sri Lankan cuisine during the cooking sessions.

Schedule

Monday
We start off the day with a welcome and introduction program and the collection of the necessary documents. A basic Language Lesson will be held thereafter. After lunch, we shall attend a cultural lesson and head out on the Kandy City tour followed by a cultural show and dinner thereafter.
Tuesday
After a good Srilankan breakfast, learn about the famous Srilankan Spices and Ayurvedic
herbs in a herbal garden. Do you know what the acronym TEA stands for? And what is the
national gemstone in Sri Lanka? Let’s find out when we visit a factory and a Gem Museum in Kandy. A soothing boat ride awaits at the beautiful Kandylake later on.
Wednesday
A traditional Sri Lankan cooking experience awaits followed by a visit to a temple and learning a few of the Buddhist religious rituals practiced by Srilankans and practicing meditation to soothe and calm your spirit and soul.
Thursday
We start off early today with an early morning visit to a family practicing traditional Batik painting. Have a fun-filled, creative workshop, challenge your creative side into producing an original Batik design of your own, or try to master the detail traditional one.
Work with vibrant colors, techniques, tools, and dyes. Followed by lunch with the family, thereafter we visit the sacred ‘Temple of the tooth’.
Friday
Today we visit a sacred temple in a small forest and a holy Hindu temple thereafter. An Indian
lunch awaits you in the city followed by a relaxing Ayurvedic massage later on.

* The schedule can be changed and/or amended depending on weather conditions, local conditions and unforeseen circumstances. Also during holidays the schedule can be interrupted.

Education and Teaching Project

Education is everyone’s right and we aspire to ensure this regardless of age, status, and disposition! You will have the opportunity to work at various kindergarten schools in and around Kandy, teach at special needs schools in the mornings and also teach kids or adults in the evenings.

They are always glad to meet you and interact with you. This is your opportunity to join hands with us to ensure no one is left behind and has access to education.

Preschool Teaching
Your project is to work as an assistant teacher at one of our many Kindergarten schools. This program helps children in the villages improve their English language skills. You will primarily be teaching English. You may be called upon to help teach drama, music, and foreign languages. You would also assist other teachers and staff and may have to create teaching plans, etc.

All the institutions are well managed and supervised by officers from government and private institutions. They all share common values and aim to create a better future for the kids. Some of them provide free education too.

Special Needs School
Spend your time at the Special Needs School where you will be able to work with students with different health conditions. Your affection, attention, and care would help these children to have the confidence and skills they deserve to have. You will support the teachers and staff in looking after the children and teaching and involving the children in various other activities. You will be training them to live a regular life.

Teaching English to Adults
The teaching English to adults program is aimed at improving the skills and knowledge of English of adults. The aim of this program is to enhance their confidence and knowledge of English. Proficiency in English is one of the essential requirements for acquiring suitable employment in Sri Lanka. Yet formal school education has not been successful to produce individuals who are competent in using English. Therefore, we strive to teach individuals who are in need of assistance to learn English.

Village Kids
In Sri Lanka, obtaining an English education is quite expensive and most of the children in villages are notable to attend private tuition classes to improve their English knowledge. Therefore, under this project, you will be teaching English to children in villages after their school hours. The classes will take place either at a community center or at a home of a parent who would like to provide space to conduct the classes. Since this project will be carried out only for 2 to 3 hours in the afternoon, it is suggested that you combine this with another project, which takes place in the morning.

Schedule

Monday to Friday
Preschool Teaching
Primarilyteach English, but also teach drama, games, music, art, and foreign languages
Encourage children in academic work and promote all-round development of the child
Assist teachers and other staff
Create teaching plans
Special Needs School
Engaging in educational activities with children as advised by the teachers
Communicating with children through creative activities
Playing games
Teaching English to Adults
Teaching to write and speak English
Improving communications skills in English
Village Kids
Preparing lesson plans
Teaching English to children
Organizing cultural sharing activities
Engaging in games and other interactive activities to improve their spoken and written English abilities

* The schedule can be changed and/or amended depending on weather conditions, local conditions and unforeseen circumstances. Also during holidays the schedule can be interrupted.

Community Project

Contribute with your time and effort to improve the quality of life of the local communities of Sri Lanka. Use this opportunity to work with less privileged families. You would be taking care of children, and of children whom you could teach basic values and education and also spending time with differently-abled people.

This program lets us come closer to the culture and people of Sri Lanka while this is your opportunity to help the needy with your time, attention, love and care.

Childcare
In this program, you will be assisting the staff at a local daycare center for poor people. You will look after the children and engage in educational activities and games. Their duties involve helping the staff in cleaning beds, changing nappies, bed sheets, pillows and keeping the area clean and sterile. You would also help to prepare food and feed the children.

Home for Children and Persons with Disabilities
This home for children and persons with disabilities is run by the Mother Teresa Foundation under the supervision of the Department of Probation and Childcare, Sri Lanka. The home accommodates more than 120 children, women, and men with disabilities between the ages of 1 to 60 years. By joining this project, you can extend your love, support and care to all these people in need. The typical hours of working would be between 8.30 to 15.30. However, if you take part in this project, Thursdays would be project holidays. On Thursdays, you may relax or you can join with another project if available.

Schedule

Monday to Friday
Childcare
Help the staff in cleaning beds, changing nappies, bed sheets and pillows.
Keep the area clean and sterile.
Play games with the children
Engage in educational activities
Home for the Children and Persons with Disabilities
Cleaning the surroundings
Supporting staff with the available activities
Engaging in recreational activities with children
Treating all the residents with love and care
Feeding the residents

* The schedule can be changed and/or amended depending on weather conditions, local conditions and unforeseen circumstances. Also during holidays the schedule can be interrupted.

Restoration & Renovation Project

Contribute to renovating and restoring ancient temples and bring back their glory. To top it off, you will get a chance to renovate educational institutions, schools and community centers!

This project will give you the opportunity to participate in efforts to bring temples, schools, and community centers in the city of Kandy back to their previous glory and get your creativity flowing to capture the imagination of the local communities.

There are many temples, schools, and community centers in and around Kandy that require renovation, restoration,and repair work. Our project works to bring back life to many of them.

Your work will include basic renovation, painting and restoration of artwork in and around the temples in the afternoons.

These latest projects are situated in the quiet yet active and vibrant city of Kandy. The projects take you deeper into the rural parts of Sri Lanka away from the noisy and overcrowded cities.

Kandy, the nucleus of Sri Lanka’s hill country, was originally the main Sri Lankan kingdom. Set around the beautiful Kandy Lake, the town still has many important temples. Sri Lankans as well as tourists make their way to Kandy’s temples, offering prayers and flowers. Although most of its palaces and temples were destroyed by invaders in the early part of the 19th century, there are still a large number of historical sites to be discovered.

Apart from restoring broken temples, you will also be involved in various other restorations, reconstruction, and beautification activities in and around Kandy. Activities such as the beautification of parks, and beautification of schools such as painting the classrooms with educative posters which will make the children return to school every day with enthusiasm, creating interesting playground activities for growing children, also take part in beautification of the town in many creative ways.

Schedule

Monday to Friday
Cleaning the surroundings of the identified sites
Painting buildings
Engaging in mural work if available
Engaging in artwork if the temple makes requests

* The schedule can be changed and/or amended depending on weather conditions, local conditions and unforeseen circumstances. Also during holidays the schedule can be interrupted.

Turtle Conservation

Explore the pristine blue waters and white sands of Ambalangoda and take part in conserving sea turtles!

We are located a few steps away from the Indian Ocean which is famous for its sea turtle nesting grounds. Many of the species are becoming extinct due to various environmental factors. You will be a part of the community involved in the conservation of marine life and its habitat.

Our program is certified by the Sri Lankan government as the only disabled turtle conservation project in the country. The program focuses on the rehabilitation of wounded sea turtles by humans, garbage or trash.

Sea turtles are found hurt on the beaches in Sri Lanka and are not able to survive on their own in the ocean. Our project rescues these turtles and takes them to the care of our center under special supervision.

There are 7 species of turtles that live in the world and out of that 5 species of turtles live in the The Indian Ocean. The program breeds and cares for 4 different species of turtles that live in the Indian Ocean: Loggerhead, Hawksbill, Green and Olive Ridley.

There are 42 disabled turtles living in the center and in a separate center we hatch hundreds of turtle eggs to be released to the ocean when they hatch. The purpose of this organization is not for commercial interest but to give these marine animals an opportunity to survive in a safe and healthy environment.

The aim of this project is to conserve turtles by directly taking care of the turtles, enhancing awareness among fishermen and the communities regarding turtle conservation and increasing the number of turtles in the ocean by releasing baby hatchlings into the sea.

Participants with open injuries in their hands should not work with turtles as infections may occur. The coordinators have a lot of experience in caring for these animals, so we ask them to follow every instruction knowing it is in the turtle’s best interest.

Schedule

Monday to Friday
The activities change according to the beach weather conditions and the number of
participants but spending time with these wonderful creatures is the main aim of our
participants’ involvement.
This program requires your dedication and support. Cleaning the turtles and their tanks at
the turtle conservation center is the main thing you have to do. That is because it is vital to
have a clean and hygienic center for these animals.
Typical activities during the week would include,
Feeding the turtles (every other day)
Cleaning the tanks
Cleaning the turtles
Cleaning the beach
Helping with the weekly release of over 100 newborn turtles into the ocean (depends on
the weather and season).

* The schedule can be changed and/or amended depending on weather conditions, local conditions and unforeseen circumstances. Also during holidays the schedule can be interrupted.

Medical Project

By joining the medical project in Kandy, Sri Lanka, you will be able to observe the patients at one of the oldest and largest hospitals in Kandy!

You will also be visiting the highlands of Sri Lanka famous for its tea plantations. Learn the medical system, medical techniques, and procedures by observing alongside vastly experienced and knowledgeable hospital staff in one of the biggest hospitals in Kandy.

After your introduction week, you will be observing patients alongside a doctor or nurse at one of the oldest and largest hospitals in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

The hospital has undergraduate training programs for university students studying Medicine and Post Graduate Institute of Medicine which is a national institute attached to the University of Colombo.

This is one of the oldest hospitals which provides the entire range of medical and surgical specialties under the administration of a single institution.

The Hospital is also a training center for student nurses who are coming from the Nurses Training School in the Hospital. It also provides teaching facilities for foreign students who seek exposure to Tropical Diseases. This hospital has over2200 beds.

By joining this project, your main task would be to observe or monitor the patients, treatments, techniques, etc. alongside the local staff working at the hospital.

Schedule

Monday to Friday
The program functions from Monday to Friday and the normal hours at the hospital will be from 08.00 to 13.30.
Working hours can be changed according to the medical department’s requirements.

Requirements

• For this placement, it is a must that participants are Medical Students. You should get a prior confirmation from us 04 weeks before your arrival.
• You should email the following documents 4 weeks prior to your arrival.
  Detailed CV
  Certification letter from the University stating that you follow a medical degree.
  A letter from you requesting the hospital to grant permission for you to take part in the medical project.
• A complete uniform set and a stethoscope should be brought with you.

* The schedule can be changed and/or amended depending on weather conditions, local conditions and unforeseen circumstances. Also during holidays the schedule can be interrupted.

Medical Internship

Join a professional medical internship in the cultural capital of Sri Lanka. This medical internship in Kandy is an ideal opportunity for an international medical students who seek a different perspective on fulfilling their dream of becoming a humanitarian doctor who has seen the world as it is. Be a part of this program and take a heart full of memories back home and an internationally recognized qualification to kick-start your career in medicine!

Our Medical Internship welcomes students from all around the world to gain further experience in the healthcare sector in a developing country like Sri Lanka.

We will place you in a reputed Government Hospital where you will get vast exposure to the Sri Lankan medical system. Our program helps you build your confidence and personal and professional network with fellow doctors and the team.

As a medical intern, you will be placed in hospital wards, clinics & theatres. Your tasks will be assigned by the hospital, mainly based on the requirements of the hospital and the background of the intern. The selected interns will be observing and shadowing the specialists and assisting them with clinical routines.

You will be placed in the teaching hospital in Kandy under the supervision of the Specialist in charge of the placement departments: Pediatric, Dentistry, Gynaecology, Gastroenterology, Cardiology, Cardiothoracic, Neurology, Physiotherapy, Emergency Treatment (ETU), Nephrology, ICU Medical Pediatric, Orthopaedic, Psychiatrist, Oncology, Urology

Interns who wish to change within departments should inform us and should complete the current week in the placed department.

All interns will be observing/shadowing the specialist with minimum hands-on experience (Hands-on experience will be decided by the specialist in charge).

Cultural Introduction During the first week of the program, you will be briefed with an introduction to our program. During the first 3 days of the week, you will get a thorough understanding of the Dos, Don’ts and the culture in Sri Lanka. Our programs are not only career-focused but also designed to give you the essence of all the best things about this magnificent and culturally rich country.

Getting to know about the proud history and the places that boast about Sri Lankan heritage, is a part of this week and we make sure that experience will make you fall in love with Sri Lanka.

From Thursday to Friday during your first week, you will receive an academic introduction session before the internship. During these sessions, a professional supervisor will educate you about the local situation and developments surrounding the industry/field in which the internship takes place and prepares the intern for the local work environment/culture.

What’s included

• Guaranteed internship placement with an assigned project and a professional work environment Guaranteed English language speaking person in the working environment plus a local language when applicable Pre-internship personal learning goal and competencies assessment
• Guidance, Supervision and on the job training Guaranteed 25+ working hours per week Frequent (bi-weekly/monthly) feedback and progress sessions with the hosting company/organization
• A physical workplace for the intern Welcome and pick-up at the airport Accommodation close to the workplace with a comfortable environment
• A mandatory introduction week consisting of an intro into the local culture and customs as well as an introduction to the internship placement
• Meals provided
• 24-hour local support

This internship is for minimum 4 weeks.

Schedule

Monday to Friday
The program functions from Monday to Friday and the normal hours at the hospital will be from 08.00 to 13.30.
Working hours can be changed according to the requirements of the department you are working with.

Requirements

For this placement, it is a must that participants are Medical Students.
You should get a prior confirmation from us 4 weeks before your arrival.
You should email the following documents at least 4 weeks prior to your arrival:
– Detailed CV
– Certification letter from the University stating that you follow a medical degree.
– A letter from you requesting the hospital to grant permission for you to take part in the medical project.
A complete uniform set and a stethoscope should be brought with you.

* The schedule can be changed and/or amended depending on weather conditions, local conditions and unforeseen circumstances. Also during holidays the schedule can be interrupted.

Prices

1 Week: 645 Euro
2 Weeks: 799 Euro
3 Weeks: 999 Euro
4 Weeks: 1199 Euro
+1 Week: 199 Euro

* The Culture Week, Renovation has an extra fee of 35 Euro per week
* The Turtle project has an extra fee of 105 Euro per week
* The Medical project & Medical Internship has an extra fee of 145 Euro per week

Our base prices are in Euro, but you can pay in Euro, US$ and Pounds. The prices will be at the currency exchange rate from the Euro at the time of payment. Click here to check the prices in your currency.

With us there are NO Registration Fees, NO administration fees, and you can easily combine the different projects

What’s included:
Volunteer program
Accommodation (shared room)
Meals
24/7 in-country support
In-country program orientation
Pre-departure support
Airport pick-up

Not included:
A 5% international banking fee is added.
Visa, flights, travel insurance, vaccinations, criminal background check, Covid tests (if required), transport to your project and back to the accommodation every day, return trip to the airport, transfers between different locations.

Requirements to join:
Volunteers need to be minimum 18 years old
Volunteers are required to provide a criminal background check
Volunteers are required to have volunteer travel insurance
Volunteers might need to have a Covid test done before departure (we will inform you of this)

Book your place in 3 steps :

1. Apply: Fill out the Application Form (click below) and we will let you know if you are accepted within 24 hours.
2. Deposit: Once accepted you pay your deposit (200 Euro or 215 US$) to reserve you place in the program.
3. Remaining Fees: You pay the remaining fees of your program, minus the deposit which you already paid, six weeks before your start date of your program.