Placement: Volunteer Sri Lanka: Working to Improve the Lives of poor Sri Lankans

Project Manager’s House/Accommodation

About the Placement

This is a rare opportunity to volunteer to do a variety of different work with the poor in this area where the lives of the people were devastated by the Tsunami and become part of the local community, gaining insight into day to day Buddhism. Volunteers do not, however, have to participate in religious activities.

The Volunteer Sri Lanka Project is a small, personal, multi faceted project which was started after the devastating Tsunami in 2004 by Janaka De Silva, the General Manager of a local hotel and a dedicated philanthropist. He spends his spare time helping poor Sri Lankan families living on the outskirts of Galle town.

The project is totally non profit making. Any money left when the volunteers have been fed & accommodated, is ploughed straight into buying equipment, books & building works for the project. There are no middle men.

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Prior to theTsunami, Janaka, the Project Manager, decided to start a project to build a small library and study centre to help poor local children and adults living near the Buddhist Temple he attends. The monks donated land in their temple compound for the erection of the buildings. He, his wife and the monks are the only people involved in running the Project. Venerable Sumana and the monks are a terrific support to the project. Not only did they donate the land, they also caretake the buildings & work with the children at weekends.

When the Tsunami happened many people lost family members and everything they owned. Janaka lost both his parents. He decided the time wasn"t right to continue with his project and that he should spend all the money he had raised to help survivors rebuild their lives. After all the money had been spent, a British woman heard about this, contacted with Janaka & discussed the whole project with him. She was impressed and started fund raising. She has since volunteered and is returning soon. Many of our volunteers return.

The Library was built in the grounds of the Temple and a plaque made to honour the deceased relatives of all donors. The Library was named, the Tsunami Memorial Library. Books were donated, a few second hand computers, a community room, sick room, kitchen and sanitary block were built so that the project would have the facilities to expand to better serve the community. Local workmen were used so that employment & income was provided for them & their dependents. The Community shelter is used for festivals and adult education.

Janaka then opened the project to volunteers and, altho the Library name remains the same, the project is called by a different name to reflect the fact that it has the potential to benefit many different sections of the poor community in the Galle area.

The Volunteer Sri Lanka Project offers the opportunity for volunteers to work with children who have varied needs and in many different settings - orphans, children needing help home work, children in poor local schools, children with learning disabilities, the elderly, hearing impaired or blind children, a nursery school, at a medical clinic, a hospital, at the Library Study facility at the Temple and doing DIY or building work at the Library and Temple.

Janaka has started a skills tuition centre on site at the Temple. Volunteers with carpentry, building, plumbing, electrical and IT skills could be instrumental in pioneering this with him by teaching local people in small groups. This would be an invaluable contribution to people of the local community. It could make the difference between people being destitute and being able to earn a modest living.

Accommodation is included in the volunteer fee and is with Janaka, his wife Manel and their 4 beautiful children at their lovely home set in beautiful grounds. It is 5 minutes from the Tsunami Memorial Library and 15 minutes to the Unawatuna Beach Resort. This 5 star accommodation is extremely rare in the volunteering world. The rooms all have ensuite shower rooms and toilets and are truly beautiful.

All the family speak excellent English.

Three meals a day and this lovely accommodation are provided out of the volunteer fee. The total cost is $500 a month. Due to rising prices in Sri Lanka the cost per month will rise to $560 from 1st July.

Free WIFI will be available from July onwards if volunteers wish to use it.

Role of Volunteer

Volunteers do not need to be trained teachers. Any literate or numerate adult can help children improve their skills. If anyone would like to volunteer at a medical facility, they do need to be medically qualified or in current medical training. All volunteers need to be 18+ with no upper limit.

At the Tsunami Memorial Library, volunteers help children with homework after school, help them work on computers, read stories, hear children read, help them write stories, letters/documents, teach simple conversational English, do art work, teach football, netball, music. Task creativity/innovation from the volunteers is welcomed. Music and singing with the children would be great, as would teaching new games to play.

The Temple, where the Tsunami Memorial Library is built, is in need of basic repair and building work. The community room and sanitary block need finishing. Shelving is needed throughout the buildings. So, if you are good with a paint brush, saw, bricklayers trowel, then you will be a great help.

In addition volunteers can work at poor schools and nurseries, schools for hearing impaired and blind children, a home for old people, a home for children with learning disabilities, a poor hospital and clinic (volunteers must have medical qualifications).

It would be quite possible for a volunteer to work in several of these places during their placement, depending on how long they stayed. When volunteers contact Janaka, he will discuss their preferences and arrange their placement accordingly.

Whatever your skill it can be used to provide training for local people to enable them to earn a living. Carpentry, brick laying, electrical wiring, plumbing....... Janaka wants to set up a skills centre at the Temple for volunteers to train poor local people. You could help him pioneer this by coming to pass on your skills to small groups of people!

Janaka will arrange whatever you wish after carefully working out a programme with you. He will review the programme with you regularly during your placement and alter it if necessary. This is partiicularly easy as you are staying at his house!

Janaka is General Manager of the largest Hotel at the Unawatuna Beach - often described as one of the 12 most beautiful beaches of the world. (Rough Guide) Volunteers can use the swimming pool at the hotel and tennis court.

During your stay, Manel, Janaka"s wife, will give you free Sri Lankan cookery lessons, if you wish. She will also like to know your favourite recipes!

Travel Information

Travel is to Colombo airport, from where collection can be arranged by Janaka for a small fee.

Once in Sri Lanka, a volunteer is sure to want to spend their time off travelling around seeing the wonderful scenery, on safaris, visiting the Millenium Home for retired elephants, archaeological sites, Buddhist Temples, moonstone mines and turtle hatcheries. The list is endless! Janaka will help volunteers with the arrangements. He has many contacts and will arrange the best prices he can.

An excellent, fully qualified Government Tourist Guide Upul Wijesuriya, may also be available, ask Janaka.

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Photo Gallery

Volunteer being welcomed by Head Monk and children 

Project Manager’s House/Accommodation 

Janaka and his son Seth 

One of the bedrooms for volunteers 

Children examine pens they have been given!