Project details:
We are aiming to provide ongoing, long-term assistance to communities along the south-west coast of Sri Lanka, which were affected by the Tsunami in December 2004. Volunteers will offer support to adults and children in a number of different settings, including temporary housing, community centres, and schools. This support may take a variety of forms, depending on need, but volunteers will primarily be teaching English, organising recreational activities, and providing entertainment for the children. Another objective of the project is to empower local people, encourage self-reliance and support them in setting up income-generating ventures where possible.

We are working in partnership with local NGOs and community members in order to ensure that our help is directed to where it is most needed. Therefore, volunteers may also be asked to get involved with a wide range of other community projects which need extra help. These might include clearing rubbish from beaches to improve the cleanliness and appearance of the local environment; planting trees along the shore to protect against another Tsunami; building gardens; painting classrooms and assisting with re building homes if these activities are available during your time at the project.

Why the project needs volunteers:
We are working with local NGOs and community members, who do not have the resources to provide vital support to their communities without the assistance of volunteers. The extra pairs of hands, advice and experience our volunteers bring to the projects can allow them to develop in new directions and improve the lives of more families. In particular, the support that our volunteers provide may allow adults and children to gain valuable English language skills, which will create more opportunities for them in the future.

What kind of skills you need to go on this type of project:
The most important skill you must bring to this project is flexibility, as the work will vary depending on the needs of the projects and will develop over time. This project would suit a volunteer with a lot of initiative, who can work and communicate with people from all walks of life. Team-work skills will be needed, as well as an appreciation of cultural differences. You will be working in hot, basic conditions with few resources, and is important that you are reasonably fit and don't mind getting your hands dirty.

Your role as a volunteer:
Your role will be to assist local staff with ongoing community projects, with the overall aim of rebuilding and supporting Tsunami-affected communities. The main activities will be teaching informal English, organising sports and games, and improving the lives of local families in whatever small way you can. Working in partnership with local NGOs and community members, you may also be required to get involved in conservation activities such as helping the turtle project and cleaning the beach when and where necessary. You could even find yourself painting classrooms, building gardens or homes, helping out a community centre looking after babies while the mothers are involved in income generated activities such as handy crafts and sewing.

Where the project is based:
You will spend your first night at a guesthouse in Mount Lavinia, a coastal area of Colombo with several beachside restaurants. After an orientation meeting the following morning, you will be transported down the coast to the project site. We are currently working in Kosgoda, a small coastal community about 70 kms south of Colombo.

Please note that previously where building work has taken place, the site has been found to have had asbestos. We do endeavour to work with sites that avoid this substance, however many of the older buildings in Sri Lanka have this as standard.

Please ensure that your flight arrives at Colombo Bandaranaike Airport (airport code CMB) on the designated arrival date to ensure your airport pick-up.

What exactly do i-to-i provide?

It may seem like a strange concept to pay for your volunteer experience. You'd be right if you think you shouldn't and the truth is you actually don't! Your placement is free; it's the benefits around it that you pay for. It's important to note that i-to-i is a travel company and not a charity. We provide a professional travel service. We are responsible for finding and assessing worthwhile projects across the world, preparing you for the volunteering experience and supporting you whilst you're there.

Here’s some more information about what your placement fee covers….

Project sourcing and assessment

We work with hundreds of locally run partner projects around the world and are constantly sourcing new opportunities. We visit all projects to check that they are worthwhile and legitimate and we also conduct a thorough safety assessment before we'll send volunteers there. More

Expert help-desk

Almost everyone who works for i-to-i has traveled extensively or worked overseas. This means we're a goldmine of information; we're always available to offer support and guidance before, during and after your trip.

Thorough project briefing materials

Once you book on to a project you'll receive a Welcome Pack that contains loads of general information about volunteering, about your chosen country and project, and a DVD about how to have fun and stay safe. We'll also give you advice on visas and inoculations.

TEFL training

If you are volunteering on a Teaching or Community Development project then a 40-hour Online TEFL course is included in your placement fee. This is an internationally recognised and accredited certificate that will help you to make the most of your time overseas. More

Airport pickup

It can be pretty daunting arriving in a different country for the first time… especially after a long flight! If you arrive on your project start date, there'll be a welcoming face at the airport to pick you up and take you to your accommodation.

Arrival orientation

Soon after you arrive you will attend a thorough orientation with our in-country team. This is to cover important safety and security information. You'll also get some tips about sight-seeing options for your time off and maybe even learn some of the local lingo!

Accommodation and meals

Accommodation is included with all projects and meals are even included with some. We only use locally-owned and operated accommodation so that part of your placement fee is filtering back into the local economy. Most projects offer homestay, guesthouse or shared volunteer houses as standard accommodation, but some offer the chance to upgrade to a more comfortable living standard. More

Local in-country coordinators

Your in-country coordinator (ICC) will pick you up from the airport and conduct your orientation upon arrival. All ICC's are English speaking and are locals of your destination country. They won't be at your project every day, but will be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you need them. More

24/7 emergency support

Aside from the local support from your in-country coordinators you'll be given access to a 24/7 emergency phone line manned by i-to-i staff in case any problem should arise while you're overseas. We also hire crisis management professionals Docleaf to be on hand in case of a situation that requires additional expert support. More

Ongoing training

The safety and security of our volunteers is paramount. For this reason we provide ongoing crisis management and emergency response training to our local teams around the world. At the end of 2006 we flew all our in-country coordinators to the UK for thorough training to help them offer the best safety to the thousands of volunteers they support each year. More

Supporting our projects

We don't fund our projects directly, but once a year they are all invited to apply for funding for special projects or resources from our registered charity arm, the i-to-i Foundation. i-to-i funds the operation of the i-to-i Foundation and is the largest single donor. Along with the generous support of our volunteers, we have distributed over US$200,000 in funding in the last two years alone! More  

Recruiting people like you

We make no secrets of the fact that part of your placement fee is reinvested in to recruiting volunteers just like you! The volunteers recruited in one week will typically deliver over 2000 man-days of service. The difference this makes to projects overseas is immeasurable. Many of our overseas projects rely on assistance from international volunteers, so it's necessary for us to put together brochures and websites to find the people who can support them. This recruitment process is vital to ensure programs have a constant stream of reliable volunteers.

The intangible benefits

Volunteering through a company like i-to-i has a lot of intangible benefits to developing overseas communities and the individual projects that we work with. To find out more about our placements. click here

You can book your flights (UK Customers only) and travel insurance through us when you book your project , so you can get your whole trip sorted at once! We'll give you more information about the best deals on flights and travel insurance when you book your project. For the best deals, we advise you book your flights early!

What we will do after you've booked:

• Once booked on you will instantly receive a welcome email confirming your booking with access to your online account
• We will send a Welcome Pack in the post containing further information and a t-shirt, the information in this pack should answer most things you need to know
• Community Development and Teaching customers will receive an email introducing them to their Online TEFL course
• Community Development and Teaching customers will be requested to complete a police check (where relevant) or send through a reference
• We will contact you if we require anything else e.g. CV/resume for some projects, doctors note for medical conditions etc.
• We will hound you to complete your forms and pay your final balance when they are due
• We are available for any questions you may have on 800 985 4852 or operations@i-to-i.com
• We will prepare for your trip and send you an email with final project and accommodation confirmation 21 days before you go

What you need to do after booking your place with us:

• Book your flights
• Arrange suitable travel insurance
• Fill out some extra details through our online interface:
  • application from
  • travel details
  • insurance details
  • medical information
  • emergency contacts
• Complete your police check or request your reference (where relevant)
• Do your Online TEFL Course (where relevant)
• Make final payment at least 60 days before you go
• Make sure you have a visa for your trip if its needed
• Visit a nurse or travel clinic for advice on inoculations and malaria prevention
• Read all details and prepare as much as you can for your trip
• Take contact details of the in country team and where you're going in your hand luggage - just in case!
• Get on the plane!

Orientation Information

Country Guide

A little bit of history…

Sri Lanka’s history is interwoven with myths and religious beliefs. In the central hill country, Adams Peak is fabled as the first place that Adam set foot after being cast out of Eden – his footprint is set in the rock seems indelible proof. Buddhists claim that the footprint is proof that Buddha placed a holy foot in Sri Lanka en route to paradise. To the north of the country a series of islands runs north to India – these are believed to be the stepping stones that Rama crossed in order to rescue his wife Sita from Rawana, the devilish King of Lanka. One thing that these myths do prove is that the religious and cultural history is both diverse and complex.

The Veddahs were the original inhabitants of the island, but they were gradually displaced by Sinhalese migrants from northern India. This migration took place from around the 6th century BC and led to the founding of the first great Sinhalese empire, Anuradhapura in the 4th century BC.  This kingdom was converted to Buddhism in the 3rd century by Mahinda and the country has remained largely Buddhist ever since.

The city of Anuradhapura was the centre of Sinhalese culture for over 1500 years until invasion by Southern Indian kingdoms gradually eroded its power and Vijayabahu I abandoned for the more southerly and more easily defended Polonnaruwa. This kingdom lasted for another 2 centuries until the excesses of its rulers and increasing invasions from India led to a dispersal of the Sinhalese culture and the emergence of a strong Tamil presence in the north of the country.

The Portuguese trader, Lorenço de Almeida, arrived in 1505 and began friendly relations with the king of Kotte, establishing a Portuguese monopoly on the lucrative spice trade. Over time the trade relationship changed from co-operation to colonisation and the Portuguese gradually gained control of the whole island. The Portuguese (like all colonial powers) exploited the island and ruled through a mixture of greed, avarice and intolerance. In an attempt to free themselves Portuguese rule the northern kingdom of Kandy enlisted the help of the Dutch, whose concerns were primarily mercantile and less intolerant of Sinhalese customs.

The Dutch ruled most of Sri Lanka until 1796, when the British swept to power. Over the next 150 years the British colonisers changed land laws and introduced the widespread planting of cash crops such as coffee, coconuts and cinnamon. The demands of these huge plantations saw a further migration of Tamil workers from Southern India, which would have devastating long-term effects on the future stability of Sri Lanka.

After India gained independence from British rule, the British government was under increasing pressure to grant independence to Sri Lanka and in February 1948 Sri Lanka became a sovereign state and a member of the British Commonwealth. In the years since independence tensions have run high between the Buddhist Sinhalese majority in the South and West and the Hindu Tamil minority in the North and East. Many wars have been fought, many ceasefires broken and an estimated 60,000 people have been killed and over a million displaced. At the time of writing, a Norwegian brokered ceasefire had been broken and fighting was raging in the around the eastern town of Vaharai.

Best time to go...

As with much of Southern Asia, the country’s weather is dominated by the monsoon. To make things even trickier Sri Lanka experiences two monsoons!

The yala season runs from early May until August and sees the southwest monsoon hit the south and west coasts and the central highlands. The second monsoon – the Maha season – affects the north and east of the island between October and January. Dry season in this part of Sri Lanka runs from May to September while in the south and west it runs from December to March.

Temperatures during the dry season can climb to the mid-30ºC, but the central highlands around Kandy can offer respite from the heat and warm jumpers are a common sight in the evenings. The seas around Sri Lanka remain warm all year but can be rough and sometimes dangerous during monsoon.

Getting around...

Travelling in Sri Lanka is can be a hugely frustrating experience. The only compensation that the traveller can gain from travelling in Sri Lanka is that the distances are relatively short. Whatever journeys you do decide to make in Sri Lanka, check security warnings from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (see links below) before travelling to the north and east of the country.

Bus

When travelling by bus it is virtually impossible to reserve a seat. The only way to guarantee a seat is to arrive at the bus station a good half an hour before the scheduled departure time and hang on to your seat for dear life. There are a wide variety of bus services ranging from largely slow and uncomfortable CTB buses (Central Tourist Board) to privately run air-conditioned inter-city services that are faster and more comfortable.

Train

Train travel can be a more relaxing option than travelling by bus. There are three main lines: Colombo to Matara, Colombo to Badulla and Colombo to Anuradhapura. There are also two branch lines one to Trincomalee on the east coast and another to Polonnuruwa. Because of the relatively short distances involved there a very few overnight sleeper services. It is usually best to take a second-class seat as the seats are padded and they are usually slightly less crowded. For journeys along the south coast train travel is definitely the best option. Although the trains are often late, they are infinitely better than trying to negotiate the traffic jams, crashes and pollution of the Colombo to Galle road and there are normally people selling great food on the trains – corn on the cob, Sri Lankan sweets and fried prawns.

Taxis and car hire

While travelling around Colombo taxis and tuk-tuks are a great option. It is a good idea to arrange a fixed price before setting off. For longer distances car hire can be a great way to get around. Although the costs are relatively high, they offer larger groups more freedom and comfort. One consideration that should be taken into account are the state of some of the countries roads and the over-riding lunacy of many of the countries drivers –Sri Lanka is not a great place for inexperienced drivers, especially on the Colombo-Galle road. Another option is to hire a car and a driver. Again this is a relatively expensive option, but if you’re short on time and have a little money too spare it can be a good option as not only do you get transport but you get a local guide into the bargain.

Useful links

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s website provides up-to-date political news, travel advice and information on visas.

A locally run car hire company with a main office in Colombo.

Avis have offices in Colombo.

Official website of Sri Lanka tourism board.