Sri Lanka Volunteer Programs from $27/day | Most Affordable & Trusted

I recently got back from a volunteer trip to Sri Lanka through IVHQ. I would definitely recommend this to anyone. As an older (than the average volunteer) person I was slightly anxious about safety, but I admit that from the moment I was met at the airport I felt well supported. The program was extensive and I was able to mix and match my projects. The people were great and I had an amazing experience while feeling that I had contributed to helping some vulnerable children.

My time in Sri Lanka was second to none! Getting to help conserve wild elephants while seeing many other species of mammals, birds, and reptiles was incredible! The staff become good friends if you stay long enough and the food alone is worth staying for! Some of the best I’ve ever eaten! Weekend trips to Trincomalee and Dambulla are a must! I highly recommend this program to anyone who loves conservation or nature!

IVHQ facilitated the single one of the most exciting and educational trips I have ever been on. They took care of me from the time I landed in Colombo Airport until it was time for me to leave. I recommend using IVHQ if you are looking to travel to Sri Lanka. I especially recommend staying in Ambalangoda beacuse the Green Lion workers there are so sweet and caring! IVHQ conects you with top-notch in-country organizations that will be sure to take care of you while you are abroad.

Before left for Sri Lanka starting my volunteer programs "childcare in preschool in the morning and girls home in the afternoon", I really harboured fear, helplessness, hesitage and even an assumption about whether I would be threaten to be raped or stolen my belongings in volunteer home because IVHQ is totally new for me and no one around me has shared experiences as an international volunteer in a completely unfamiliar country. But the reality is I really enjoyed my one week voluneteer in Sri Lanka and if possible I might come back again to stay longer with those girls in girls home and friendship was there with more understanding and trust established already in my short stay. So here is safe, valuable and impressive.
In the midnight of Oct 1st in Colombo airport, IVHQ staff picked me up and arranged a nearest hotel to give me a nice rest. On the next day together with other new members were transfered to Kandy where all volunteers live in a volunteer home and work on our programs. Living condition and food are so nice and I can feel stay at home.
After Monday oritation, I started my responsibility and especially appreciated my IVHQ coordinator Ms Samadi who always accompanied with me like a bodyguard to assure my safety and a private translator during my transportation and work so I have more chance to be familiar with local culture and better devoted myself to give love and care to those preshcool children and young girls with efficient communications. So if you have questions, just ask.
Almost every evening, volunteers would share each one's feeling and what they saw and heard, in order to protect ourselves and meanwhie better regulate volunteers' perspective and teaching plan to improve our work and help those Sri Lankan. PS it is also a good opportunity to make new friends and enjoyed various culture here with more and more commnication.
Personally setting up trust with strangers in the beginning is challenging, but keep smiling and patience, give love and care from heart, buy some candy and colorful pencils and drawing paper for them, they really want to come to me and started to play and comminicate with me. Once they accepts me, it is helpful to make them feel cared and loved by outside and give them confidence to face bright reality and prospective future. Everyone has past, good or bad, what matters is to cherish current days and be happy every day from now on. Those are very smart and hard working, they can feel loved and give love in return. Please hug them, talk to them, buy candy and colorful drawings for them, sing and paly with them, but dont speak too much English in private(most girls can only speak a little English) and always let coordinators translate what you talk about to them in public, to make them feel comfortable and reduce their negative curiosity because most of them are sesitive about their personal histories, so please dont ask them their personal stories even though trust is there. To satisfy our own curiosity is not the intention to be a volunteer, but rather bring happniess and new knowledge and share with them, pass love and care to them is what we take care and give. So in return I also feel satisfied and happy to know them when they started to call me sister and defined me as their one friend from China and believe they would have a wonderful future with smile all the time.
A really amazingly unforgettable and touching heard experience in my life. Thank you, everyone for making me receive a nice memory and unique personal experience in Sri Lanka.
I like Sri Lankan, who are truly pure and friendly.
Best regards.

I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to volunteer in Sri Lanka with IVHQ. From the moment I began my application, I felt incredibly supported by the IVHQ staff and knew I would be in good hands once arriving in a foreign country. As a solo volunteer traveling from the U.S., I was nervous and had many questions before the trip. The IVHQ staff were more than helpful in answering my questions and easing my worries. The program itself was wonderful. I stayed in a home with a lovely Sri Lankan family and 6 other volunteers. The home was basic but comfortable and clean. I felt as I was getting the authentic experience, which is exactly what I wanted. My program was teaching English in a local pre-school. This experience was also positive, and I really enjoyed the children and the teachers of the school. It was not always easy as the language barrier did make it difficult to communicate with the kids, but overall I felt like I was applying my teaching skills in a meaningful way. I still keep in touch with the teachers, the other volunteers, and the family I lived with. Sri Lanka will always have a special place in my heart, and I look back on this experience fondly. I highly recommend IVHQ for those considering volunteer projects abroad.

I spent 4 weeks over in Sri Lanka this Summer and had the time of my life volunteering on various programs and exploring what this beautiful country has to offer - it's left me with a longing urge and passion to go back!

I initially went out there to do 4 weeks of Temple Renovation but during orientation week you are informed of the expansive list of project options available, allowing you to change on a weekly basis if you wish to do so. I took full advantage of this and mixed up my upcoming weeks so that I could experience a variety of different programs, something which I am thrilled to have done!

I undertook the:
- Elephant Experience = 100% recommend! This program allows you to get up close and personal with a gorgeous elephant who needs your help both feeding and washing them, and of course taking part in some cute selfies as well! I found this experience very rewarding as you can evidently see that your fee money is going towards a good cause, caring for these lovely animals who have been mistreated in the past. A huge bonus in regards to choosing this project as well is that you get to stay with the local family who run this project. Living in their home was an extremely humbling experience and they made us feel right at home within an hour of arriving there. The food is absolutely incredible and it is a fantastic bonding experience for yourself and the group of people you are volunteering there with.
- Trekking Week = I chose to break up my volunteering weeks with the chance to personally explore more of the country, thanks to this program that the co-ordinators arrange for you in order to enhance your experience. These 5 days of trekking gave me such a unique insight into more of Sri Lanka and gave us the opportunity to discover parts of the country that we wouldn't have found on our own.
- Temple Renovation = I really enjoyed my week spent at this project as you are able to see how your help is making a difference due to the progress that you and the other volunteers can make in a matter of days to these beautiful temples! What makes this program so special is that in between renovating and painting the temple, you get to have tea and lunch breaks with the chief Monk which is an experience in itself! They are always providing positive feedback and he also gifted me with a pen and a handmade blessing bracelet on my departure which I found really touching! This is a great program if you are willing and active.

In terms of the in-country staff I could not fault them - they make you feel comfortable and aware of everything from the get go which helps to put you at ease and enjoy your experience to the fullest! This journey has allowed me to learn so many new things about myself by pushing my boundaries and has also led me to have made some friends for life! The environment you are in gives you no choice but to connect and bond with your fellow volunteers in a whole other way to what you do at home - these friendships are unique and ones that you will cherish forever.

I recommend doing the week-long orientation as this is a great opportunity to get to know your fellow volunteers and also explore the city of Kandy that you shall be living in - all included in the price as well!

Places you must visit when in Sri Lanka are: Ella, Trincomalee, Sigiriya Rock, Pidurangala Rock, Dambulla, Loolecondera Tea Plantations, Ambuluwawa & Adam's Peak.

I am 57 and spent 5 weeks volunteering on the outskirts of Kandy,Sri Lanka. I took part in 2 projects. The first in the Hill Country where I was lucky enough to spend a week in a pre- school. The school was small and had a slide and swings in the yard and I initially thought, " Oh they don't seem too badly off" but after the first day I reallized the classroom was very over crowded, they had no electricity to the building and the teacher had to shine a torch so the children could see the posters on the walls that had stories, numbers and letters on them.
The teacher was wonderful and had been there quite a long time.
She had very limited resources to use and was very grateful for the books, crayons and paper we brought in for them to use.
The children came to school so tidily dressed each day that I also assumed they didn't seem too badly off but on exploring the outskirts of town we saw some of the families were still having to draw water from a well and the children walked several kilometres to reach school.
I realised I should not have made such quick assumptions as these were proud people making the best from the resources they were given and they were doing a wonderful job.
They were so grateful for the time we gave them which was reward in itself.
I would definitely recommend any volunteering experience as my next 4 weeks were spent in the children's home with children's from 3 days old to 4 years old who had no parents other than the kind women who worked on very limited funding to care for them. I worked hard whilst there to try and help as much as possible and make the smallest of difference in both staff and children's lives and its reward was gratitude both from the staff and the children. I was so very happy to have helped, as small as my contribution was.
I will say go, be proactive and try and make positive change as they do not know what you can do for them unless you offer.
You will also have a wonderful cultural experience and form new friendships with the other volunteers.

I recently spent a month in Sri Lanka, 3 of these weeks ad part of the green lion sri lanka program and the last 2 volunteering in Hanguranketa (hill country about an hour from kandy). The 2 weeks that i spent here were an absolute blast! My mornings were filled with preschool teaching and afternoons filled with temple renovations - now this wasnt something i'd previously sgnwd myself up for but im so glad i got to do it because it was so much fun, even though it was sometimes hard work and we got dirty i dont regret it one single bit and i would recommend it to anyone!! The coordinators here were AMAZING! Along with our host at the vilunteer house, i felt like i was at home and now have some beautiful new sri lankan friends who made saying goodbye harder. Honestly i cant explain briefly my time but if you considering a trip and youre not sure, book it! You wont regret it!! Aside from the wonderful weeks volunteering there are some wonders that you can reach by local bus which is part of the adventure itself - Sigiriya Rock, Ella, Arugam Bay, the list goes on.