Sri Lanka

Outreach International focuses on one specific part of Sri Lanka which was badly affected by the 2004 tsunami disaster. This is in the southwest, close to the colonial town of Galle. It's an easy-going, Buddhist area inhabited by the Sinhalese. The stretches of coastline are festooned with long, golden beaches backed with palm trees. A beautiful, fascinating place but one which is in great need of career break and gap year volunteers.

The ocean is breath-taking but the beauty of the area masks the poverty and deprivation. Volunteering in Sri Lanka is sometimes about assisting communities that have been damaged by the tsunami or individuals that have lost their families and their homes.

However, we are not there to provide disaster relief. Instead, we are looking at long term projects where our Sri Lanka volunteers can make a significant impact through sustained support. Like our volunteering projects in other countries we work with small, local, grassroot initiatives. Your energies and skills are always needed but you would also enjoy the experience of becoming immersed in the warm, welcoming communities that host the projects. They have been carefully selected, visited and assessed by James Chapman, Director of Outreach International. Opportunities include teaching in schools, working with the disabled, helping at orphanages and residential homes and also carrying out coastal conservation work on turtle nesting sites.

The Sri Lanka projects are based in the same area so that volunteers can enjoy the social benefits of living together. However, to minimise the cultural impact of our work we normally have just two volunteers working on each project at any one time.

We have a permanent member of staff in Sri Lanka who provides volunteers with the support and back up necessary to carry out safe and successful projects.

General Information

• 	Sri Landa volunteers will be expected to speak English on your project. It is widely spoken in Sri Lanka and a knowledge of the language opens the doors to numerous employment opportunities. However, over the course of your first two weeks we will give you 20 hours of Sinhala language tuition.

  Language Training

• 	Our Sri Lankan co-ordinator, Mr Priyankara, is keen that volunteers should travel in Sri Lanka and see as much of the country as possible. With his contacts he can help you plan interesting itineraries for weekends or longer periods of travel. Travel in Sri Lanka is easy and inexpensive, with a bus network, cheap taxis and very cheap rickshaws covering the whole country. The northern parts of the country is now open to tourists and the hundreds of miles of sandy coastline, surf beaches of the south east and hills of the interior are readily accessible. As an Outreach International volunteer, you will receive good discounts at our recommended travel agents.

  Travel & Expeditions

• 	There are no rules about time off, but in most cases weekends are free and many volunteers choose to travel in Sri Lanka or beyond after their projects have finished. You are, however, expected to be completely committed to your project and only take time off with the permission of your manager. All projects are linked to initiatives involving Sri Lankan staff, so you will quickly adapt to the local style of working. The key here is to be flexible and to use initiative. Outreach International demands a serious commitment from all Sri Lanka volunteers, but at the same time recognises that the nature of voluntary work demands a flexible approach, and we definitely want you to have an enjoyable and rewarding time. With Outreach International's focus on just two particular areas of Sri Lanka, you will have regular contact with other Outreach International volunteers. Often the closest bonds are made with fellow volunteers, and in most cases you are placed in pairs to give each other support. Meetings will be arranged to bring you all together and to take time out together during your stay.

  Time Off & Volunteer Interaction

• 	Parents and partners of volunteers in Sri Lanka can always have immediate contact with both the UK Head Office and the Sri Lankan Field Office. Mr Priyankara (Mr P), is our Sri Lankan co-ordinator. He has many years of experience working with tourists, travellers and acting as guides. Prior to working with Outreach International, he coordinated a tsunami relief project. Hi lives with his wife and young children close to our volunteer house. You will be given a comprehensive briefing in the UK a few weeks prior to your departure. Mr P will also give you a detailed in-country brief and orientation shortly after arrival. The briefings are important and we take great pride in knowing all volunteers and recognising you as individuals. The co-ordinator will know where each volunteer is at any time, and will regularly visit you on your project. Moreover, in every project supported by Outreach International, there will be Sri Lankan supervisors. Outreach International attaches great importance to back up and support, but we do not want to over-monitor you. We recognise that a gap year is an important time of independence and adaptation, and we want to give you the freedom to develop your own role on the project. As part of your personal analysis and debriefing at the end of the placement, you are asked to write a short article concerning your work and experiences. At the end of your placements you can request official certification from Outreach International acknowledging your contribution to the project as a record of your work and a possible advancement to career development. Outreach International will also be able to provide future employers with references for volunteers who successfully complete their project placement. Our projects are all recognised by the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.

  Support from Outreach International

• 	Sri Lanka volunteers will normally live in the Outreach International house with other volunteers. This is in a great location close to the ocean. We also have arrangements with local families who are warm, welcoming and hospitable. The families are closely related to Mr P, our coordinator. If you live with a family they will cook for you, look after you and help to involve you in Sri Lankan life. The local diet is rice and curry. Basic curry consists of vegetables, fish and sambol, which is a combination of chilli, onions, coconut and lime. Vegetarian curries are served throughout the country and the vegetarian diet respected as part of the Buddhist beliefs. Fresh fish and huge prawns are also an important part of the diet. Sri Lanka has a bewildering array of fruits, including pawpaws, jackfruit, oranges, mangoes, durian and rambutan.

  Food & Accommodation

• 	All Sri Lanka volunteers travelling and working with Outreach International will have full insurance to cover personal accident, medical and emergency travel expenses during volunteer project activities. Our policy is expensive but very comprehensive. It gives you unlimited medical cover, public liability cover and baggage cover. The cost of insurance is included in the overall project cost. Once in Sri Lanka, the Outreach International field office will assist volunteers with any health problems that may arise. The UK office will inform you as part of your preparation package of what immunisations and medication are needed for your stay in Sri Lanka.

  Health & Insurance

• 	Outreach International will organise and book your flights but they must be paid for separately. Visas normally last for a maximum of 90 days. These must be obtained in advance from the Sri Lankan consulate in London. Formal documentation from Outreach International will be needed. Visa applications for our volunteers have never been rejected but we cannot take responsibility for decisions made by the Sri Lankan consulate. You will be met at Colombo airport by Outreach International staff and taken to your accommodation. Our base is six hours south of Colombo. All travel directly associated with the volunteer project placement will be covered and given to you by our co-ordinator. Recreational and post-placement travel is additional to the overall project cost. It's a wonderful country to explore and most Sri Lanka volunteers travel at weekends.

  Flights, Visas & Project-related Travel

• 	An important aspect of the UK office support is to assist and advise Sri Lanka volunteers on how to raise the money to finance your project. The UK office will have discussions concerning finance with individual volunteers once you have had your selection interview and been accepted on the programme. We run fundraising awareness day courses at our base in Somerset and have a comprehensive fund raising information pack. For full details of our costs please refer to our costs page. Our charges include all UK costs such as briefings and training, full insurance, all project related travel, airport pick up, food, accommodation, support and documentation for your visa application a short trip, orientation upon arrival, comprehensive in-country support and project donations. The insurance is a specialist policy and covers baggage, personal accident, medical, emergency travel, personal and public liability. It does NOT include the cost of international flights.

  Spending Money & Cost