Overview

Fancy helping a paradise lost?

Some of the most beautiful places in the world often have the biggest problems and nowhere is that more evident than in Sri Lanka, where the tropical peace was ended by the 2004 tsunami. You’ll get the chance to take part in a variety of activities and help with the children of the local community centre as you help the environment and the people get back on their feet. You also have the unforgettable chance to see the island’s stunning natural diversity and spectacular sapphire seas up close by helping out the turtle project in the area. This is a project for the flexible amongst you who don’t mind pitching in, but the chance to make a difference in such a beautiful island is ample reward for you efforts. 

Trip Highlights:

• Helping a small community in their on-going efforts to re-build their lives after the Asian Tsunami
• Exploring Sri Lanka's stunning coastline and finding your own personal favourite spot!
• Spending time with some of the world's most friendly people

Itinerary & Details

Project details:
We are aiming to provide ongoing, long-term assistance to communities in the Tsunami affected areas along the South coast of Sri Lanka. Support is required in a variety of settings depending on the needs of the project when you arrive. Although most of the affected houses have been refurbished by now, some houses are still going through this process. The support of the volunteers may take a variety of forms, depending on the 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, generating ventures where possible, by helping them to converse in English. If they can use English for communication , they could find a job in the tourist industry. 

We are working in partnership with 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. However these activities are flexible and change all the time, based on the needs of the community. You should be able to get involved in whatever the activities are available during your stay such as any cottage industry that the poor are taking part in to earn a living.  

Why the project needs volunteers:
We are working with local project 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, the main activities will be teaching informal English to children and adults, organising sports and games, and improving the lives of local families in whatever small way you can. Working in partnership with local project 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 singing, dancing, drawing and painting.

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 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 fora 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 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 project then a 60-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 team will arrange a pick-up for you at the airport and will conduct your orientation upon arrival. All coordination teams 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 team you'll be given access to a 24/7 emergency phone line manned by our response team in case any problem should arise while you're overseas. We also hire crisis management professionals 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. We also fly in our in-country coordinators to the UK regularly 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 from the project fee that you pay us. Instead we choose to support a number of projects every year through a grant scheme for tangible long-term initiatives. In the last 3 years we have distributed over US$250,000 to our most needy projects to help them in the great work they do. 

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

Next Steps

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

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)

We will contact you if we require anything else e.g. CV/resume for some projects, doctors note for medical conditions etc.

We will prepare for your trip and send you an email with confirmation of your project and accommodation 2 weeks after you've booked

We will ask you to complete your forms and pay your final balance if they are still due when required

We are available for any questions you may have on +44 1132 050 076 or support@i-to-i.com

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:

1. Application from
2. Travel details
3. Insurance details
4. Medical information
5. Emergency contacts

Complete your police check if requested

Do your Online TEFL Course (where relevant)

Make final payment at least 90 days before you go

Make sure you have a visa for your trip if it's 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

We aim to provide you with a safe and soft landing into your destination by picking you up from the airport, giving you an orientation that helps to settle you into the country as quickly as possible. Its also the best time to ask any questions you have about your time in Sri Lanka. You will arrive on the Arrival date - Sunday and will be met at the airport on that day and will be taken to the Ranveli Beach Hotel (see contact details below) where you will have the first day/night to recover from your flight. One of our team will be there on hand to advise you about the area and show you around and to take you to the Mount Lavinia hotel, where our volunteers can rest by the pool. The member of the team is on hand for an informal orientation before dinner at the Ranveli Beach Hotel at 18.30 to 20.30 hours. If you're arriving early we can arrange a meet and greet for you. If you require this please contact us to arrange this service. If you wish to make your own way please arrange to be at the address below on the arrival date:

Ranveli Beach Resort
56/9 De Saram Road
Mount Lavinia
Telephone 0112 717385
Contact person Mr Susantha

Your orientation will take place the next morning, Monday, at 08.30 hrs and you will be taken to your projects and permanent accommodation at about 13.00 hrs after the orientation. Tuesday will be the first day that you meet your project and start working as a volunteer.

Flights & Insurance

Insurance

It's important that you get adequate travel insurance for your i-to-i experience and as many of you will be working this often means standard policies won’t work. The good news is that no matter where your coming from we have already found a policy to suit you.

The best time to get your insurance is when you book your project as this means you can get a fully tailored policy exclusive to i-to-i, just ask your consultant for further details at the time of booking.

EU Customers – find out more here >>

Australian customers - find out more here >>

All other customers - find out more here >>

Flights

As with insurance we advise you get these booked as early as possible to avoid high prices and to make sure you arrive on the right day. The i-to-i team is right up to date with the best deals no matter where you’re flying from; their insider knowledge could save you some time and money.

Early Airport Pick-up

If you are arriving before your designated arrival date, we can arrange for an extra meet and greet service for you. For an extra supplement we will be there to meet you at the airport and take you to your orientation accommodation. One additional night a

The cost of this Early Pick-up service is €72.00