Volunteering Opportunities In Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a small Asian country in the Indian Ocean. The country has over 2,550 years of written history and you can still see remains of the ancient civilizations that lived here.  The magic of the region includes long beaches, ruins from days past, tons and tons of elephants, great spots for surfing, tea everywhere, welcoming people and the unique flavors of its food.

Among the attractions in Sri Lanka that you can’t miss are: Adam’s Peak, Galle Colonial town from the Dutch-era, Yala National Park, Anuradhapura ruined city and Sigiriya rock (don’t forget to check out its ancient graffiti).

If you are one of those travelers who also enjoy being helpful in the countries they visit, keep reading. I have found some volunteering options in Sri Lanka that you might be interested in.

Teaching and Healthcare with Arm-In-Arm Volunteers (AIAV)

This organization is offering four different options in Badulla and Gale. They are looking for teachers to work at schools, orphanages and child care centers. There is also need for people with knowledge about lab work, dental care, and qualified people to work at clinics and hospitals.

The third option is to keep the elderly company, to help them with housekeeping and keep track of their medical appointments. The last one involves helping out deaf and blind people at schools and with their homework.

Volunteers can be part of these projects for as short of a time of 1 week, up to a year and they do require a fee to help pay for your accommodation, food, training and a small portion covers administrative expenses.

You can read more about their projects in Sri Lanka at their website.

Teaching and Practicing Art and Sports at Capokolam

Capokolam provides educational arts programs to children in impoverished and disadvantaged communities, suffering the effects of war, natural disaster, and endemic poverty.

For Summer 2016, Capokolam intends to build 5 equipped, trained, and diverse teams to deliver intensive, holistic, and innovative, education and arts programs around Sri Lanka.

Volunteers will collaborate with the full-time program of English, capoeira, traditional and creative arts, dance, sports, and leadership activities. This will culminate in performances and exhibitions, in collaboration with the Faculty of Fine Arts, Eastern University, Batticaloa. For that reason they are seeking educators, artists, Capoeiristas, English teachers, dancers, musicians, actors, performers, martial artists, sports persons, or similarly talented individuals.

Volunteers will be living in the field in the community. Locations will include Batticaloa, Nuwara Eliya plantations, Jaffna peninsula, and various rural locations in Northern Province.

Accommodation of good quality, including private rooms in the community, in good surroundings, AC/fan and running water, is arranged with local partners at very favorable rates starting at $10 per night.

Food and meals are arranged with local partners in the community at very little cost to the volunteer, and volunteers will have the choice of eating and socializing with families and the community.

Take a look at their website or send an email to contact@capokolam.org if you would like to learn more about this project and help out.

These might not be the opportunities you are looking for but each of the organizations mentioned are often looking for volunteers to perform different tasks so I would recommend taking a look at their websites. You might find something that sounds fun for you.

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