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.

When I reached the Kandy accommodation from Colombo airport, I was reluctant to start this program but as the Orientation week went by, I made amazing new friends and were briefed in detail with round-the-clock help provided, I realized that one should always give some time to settle in.

I did Teaching Monks in Kandy for the first week which was a brilliant experience. I taught the 8-11 year olds helping them grasp the importance of English for their daily life use. It was a treat to watch them excel verbally and written-wise.

As we friends (the entire Orientation batch of my week) had gotten close, a few of them were already in Hill Country and I was really curious about how things work there so I convinced a few others to also go for the next week to check it out and we could always come back if we didn't like it but hands-down it was the bestest decision ever and I ended up staying for my last two weeks. The coordinators were so helpful, catering to our each and every need and taking us along as friends..suggesting as to how we should approach the Monks students if we were having problems. The food was yummy, the accommodation facility was quite clean (which is super important to me). All in all, I made a lifetime of friends who are like family to me and I hope to be reunited with them soon in any part of the world..:)

Three points impressed me most
1, “I am a citizenship of world.”
2,”Happiness has nothing to do with wealth.”
3,”Courage and Curiosity make the life amazing to live.”

Three volunteers I met that I will never forget
1,A brave and charming girl from Lebanon who share a lot of similarities with me, the same age, same ambition, same crazy ideas and same eager.
2,A smart and mature boy from Belgium who encouraged us to be brave to live the life we want, break the limitations in our mind and gain more experience through the world.
3,A committed and considerate boy from China who impress me by his powerful self-control and his great attitudes and long-range goals toward life.

Three locals I met that make me want to go back again
1,Damarakitha, a 12 year old boy who stared at my eyes and asked me to go back , a clever and charismatic monk who told me that he want to come to China when he grows up.
2,Thilini,a 23 year girl who learned some Chinese from me and is coming to China to learn medicine, a pretty and determined student who told me a lot of opinions and attitudes of Sri Lanka girls.
3,Shasheen,a humorous coordinator who learned English all by himself and want to explore the world, a cute keyboard player and amazing graphic designer who made my life there as home.

Three things I did when I was there
1,I collected amazing stories from the world
2,I made friends which might influence my life forever
3,I accepted everything I faced and smiled to everyone I met on the street.

Three things I did after I went back to China
1,I opened my own broadcast show to share my stories with my friends
2,I took over a task to run events to develop cross-culture communication
3,I encouraged every friend who want to embrace great lives to go out the explore the world.

Three suggesetions I give to those who are interested in this
1,Just do it
2,Just do it
3,Just do it

Volunteering overseas is spending a day with someone new and feeling like you've known them your whole life by the end of it. It's crazy what you learn about someone while you both wander through a foreign city, navigating the uncharted waters together and swapping stories of what led you to this place in life. I was so blessed to live in a house with not only 1 other volunteer, but 40 from all over the world. When I left, I parted with dozens of new lifelong friends, visits to make, and couches to sleep on around the globe.

I came to Sri Lanka alone, on my first overseas trip! IVHQ was a great choice for a first time, anxious traveler and Sri Lanka was a great country to visit alone! The support I got prior to the trip and on the way over was great and I felt very prepared. The staff on site were helpful for the most part as well and I felt very safe the entire duration of the trip. By the time I had to leave, I even felt comfortable and confident enough to opt out of the taxi they’ll call for you, and find my way back on my own!
I had signed up to do the wild elephant conservation project but was pleasantly surprised when I got there to find out that you have the freedom to switch around and participate in other programs as well. I ended up skipping orientation week and spending some time at the disabled orphanage instead, before heading to the elephant project. Both projects were really incredible experiences!
The disabled orphanage really counts on its volunteers and so every day of work felt very important. The girls grabbed our hands and pulled us into hugs the minute we got there. The staff that run the place are so positive and kind. Working alongside them was very inspiring. We colored, sang, danced, helped at lunch time, did a bit of cleaning, and then a lot more playing!
The elephant conservation was beyond anything I’d imagined. The view from the house is like a photo out of a magazine and the house itself was a great environment with a really fun vibe to it. The work was different every day which was really cool and I learned a lot about elephants and wildlife conservation in general. We got to work on a few different projects in the jungle but also spent a lot of time working with the affected villagers as well, who are very appreciative of the help in minimizing human-elephant conflict. Each evening, the group heads out in the safari jeep to a clearing and you wait for the elephants to come! We saw a ton the week I was there!

The country is really beautiful between the tea fields, jungles, mountains, and beaches and there was plenty of down time for exploring. But to sum up, I really recommend volunteering with IVHQ in Sri Lanka. The work and the accommodation and the beauty of the place are all great, but what’s really irreplaceable is the community IVHQ makes you a part of. The world has become a lot bigger and a lot smaller at the same time. Bigger, because I've learned of about 100 more places that I'd like to go. And smaller, because it's all a lot more accessible now and I have friends in all kinds of places that can help me along the way. I can’t wait for the next trip!

I have done four volunteer experiences with IVHQ - Guatemala, Nepal, Ecuador, and Sri Lanka. Although each program had its own highlights, this program is the one where I felt like each day you showed up for work, you made a difference. The highlight of the experience was work at a orphanage for disabled people. I would not have considered this project before I arrived, but the volunteer coordinator said that if you believe in karma, this is karma. It was tough but wonderful!
The best part about the program was that you could change your project every week. This gave you the opportunity to see much of the country and try out many difference types of work. And the staff at Green Lion goes out of their way to make you feel safe and to ensure that the work you are doing is worthwhile.

It was an eye opening experience, to say the least. It made me appreciate everything I have in life and realize what little is necessary in order to be happy. At my volunteer placement, a disabled home for girls and women, there were very little resources, but everyone seemed happy with what they've got. 2x a week we would have a dance hour, which would be the highlight of the day and everyone participated! It's a wonderful way to get out of your own comfort zone and it forces you to see the things that are hard to see at times. You can't turn a blind eye this time! However, I also think you need to have a certain maturity level to partake in this and to fully emerge yourself in the experience, which unfortunately many of the teenage volunteers were lacking. It was still an important chapter in my life and I'm planning to return next year, if possible. Everyone should be able to do at least one of those kind of volunteer journeys in their life and it is worth every minute of it.

Being a first time solo traveller, I didn't know what to expect from my experience; in fact, I made a conscious effort to minimise any expectations in fear of disappointment. I can pleasantly say volunteering in Sri Lanka was one of the best experiences I've ever had!

After an anxious flight, I was picked up by a member of the Green Lion team and driven to the Green Lion volunteer house. I must say, I felt like an excited child during that 3 hour (ish) bus journey. Getting to know the other volunteers, looking out of the window to witness the hustle and bustle of Sri Lanka's streets. Everything I saw was new to me, and to be honest everyone was really excited to get to the volunteer house.

The volunteer house has a really fun atmosphere, everyone I met was travelling on their own, so everyone made friends really quickly. The orientation week is spent doing most of the touristic things people do in Kandy. Green Lion coordinators accompanied us on trips to visit spice garden, tea factory, Temple of Tooth etc. The orientation was a great way for us to get used to modes of transport and how to get around the city.

My work placement was called 'the disabled orphanage', it was a home for abandoned women and children with a range of physical and mental disabilities. Let me say, your first day will either terrify you or motivate you (or maybe both). The conditions are something that we all found disturbing. Vulnerable women and children are left to their own devices, one rocking in a corner, another who had wet themselves, others getting up to no good. There is very little supervision, as the few staff they have are busy carrying out tasks to keep the home running. It's a complete shock to the system.

Shortly after arriving, one of the nuns who works at the home lead a guided meditation session for the volunteers (there were volunteers from other organisations). She reminded us why we were here, how important our work here is, and gave us the motivation to go out there and interact with the women and children. We did the mediation every morning, and to be honest, it was something we all really looked forward to.

After the initial shock, we all began to fall in love with these women and children, and I really looked forward to going there every morning. You do morning classes with them (singing songs, reading, writing etc), and spend the rest of the afternoon helping out with feeding and interacting with all of the women and children who call you 'ANTI!!' (yes, being called aunty all day was pretty cute).

I won't try to explain the bonds I made, some things just can't be put into words. I just want to advise anyone thinking about doing this project to do it! Lets just say, I came home and began my career working with young people with disabilities. You don't get more life changing than that right?