Location
  • Sri Lanka
Length
1 to 24 weeks

Program Details

Language
English
Age Min.
17
Timeframe
Short Term Spring Break Summer Winter Year Round
Housing
Guesthouse Hostel
Groups
Small Group (1-15) Medium Group (16-30) Large Group (31+)
Travel Type
Budget Solo Women

Pricing

Starting Price
270
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Meals Transportation
What's Not Included
Airfare Travel Insurance Visa
Sep 06, 2023
Jan 29, 2024
90 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Volunteer in Sri Lanka with Plan My Gap Year – an award-winning, international volunteer abroad organisation with programs based in Sri Lanka. PMGY provides safe, trusted and affordable programs overseas with a wide range of volunteer projects in Sri Lanka including Childcare • Dog Rescue • English Teaching • Medical • Mental Health & Turtle Conservation opportunities.

PMGY Sri Lanka is located in Ambalangoda. The Sri Lanka programs start on the 1st & 3rd Saturday of every month. Our projects here run across the year and participants can join us from 1-24 weeks. Volunteers in Sri Lanka are provided with an extensive pre-departure support service, airport pick-up, orientation, meals, accommodation and local support.

Video and Photos

Impact

Ethical Impact

Plan My Gap Year is committed to providing ethical volunteer opportunities that truly benefit the local communities. We have personally vetted all of our Volunteer Programs in every destination. We support a small network of Volunteer Programs abroad that we have specifically chosen due to their efforts being sustainable for our volunteers and the local communities alike. We work closely with each of our local teams to ensure we are assessing and adapting to ensure quality experiences for all involved.

For this reason, PMGY does not provide volunteer opportunities in orphanages in any of our locations. Research and studies have shown that visiting and volunteering in orphanages has the potential to generate an industry that separates children from their families. In turn, putting children at increased risk of neglect and abuse. Therefore, we do not support these institutions with our volunteer network.

Instead, we focus on offering alternative childcare volunteer opportunities whereby children come to and from the placement setting each day. In other words, our local teams collaborate with childcare projects which do not offer any form of residential care. These are safe, responsible, and vetted projects, where participants continue to provide valued assistance supporting local staff.

Program Highlights

  • Most Affordable – PMGY’s programs are accessible to everyone who wants to make a difference, through low fees and high-impact projects.
  • Best Support – Our international and local teams provide extensive around the clock services to assist you every step of your PMGY adventure.
  • Safety Prioritised – With safety a PMGY number-1 priority, we have taken all necessary precautions to ensure our programs are as safe and structured as possible.
  • Extraordinary Experiences – With PMGY, you have the opportunity to truly immerse yourself in amazing cultural and travel experiences, ensuring you leave with unforgettable memories.
  • Friendships for Life – Your PMGY experience not only opens up a doorway for new experiences and exciting memories, but also life-long friendships when meeting new people from around the world.

Popular Programs

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On this uncrowded, exotic and developing island there are many vulnerable children in much need of volunteer's care and support.

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Get involved in making a real difference to the lives of street dogs in Sri Lanka. Help do your bit to ensure they have a bright future!

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Teach novice Buddhist monks or children displaced by the Tsunami. English is a valuable skill that will greatly enhance their future career prospects.

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Gain invaluable medical experience, an opportunity not to be missed in this gorgeous part of the world by those pursuing a career in medicine.

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Using a combination of lectures, meditations, consultations and community projects, further your awareness of mental health in a new culture.

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Help protect and rehabilitate at-risk sea turtles whilst also taking part in community development projects. Experience a different side of Sri Lanka.

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Our top destinations mixed into one trip! Don’t miss your chance to sample and a make difference in sleepy Sri Lanka, inspiring India & beautiful Bali!

Program Reviews

4.89 Rating
based on 124 reviews
  • 5 rating 89.52%
  • 4 rating 9.68%
  • 3 rating 0.81%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Impact 4.65
  • Support 4.95
  • Fun 4.85
  • Value 4.8
  • Safety 4.95
  • Program Selection 5
  • Pre-departure Help 5
  • In-program Support 5
  • Impact on Student 5
  • Value 5
Showing 33 - 40 of 124 reviews
Default avatar
Heather
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Mental Health and Psychology

I was initially sceptical about what the placement would be like with being introduced this year, but I found it a once in a lifetime experience. By producing a two-week timetable meant that no two days would be the same. Each placement varied, meaning that you could experience the cultural differences. The people I met there were incredible, both the other volunteers and the staff. I’d definitely want to visit the beautiful country again.

What would you improve about this program?
The only improvement with this project would be organisation between both PMGY and the placements. At times we were unaware of what was happening, and sometimes had to do something/go somewhere different then planned.
50 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
James
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Turtle project volunteering

Sri Lanka was the first stop on my gap year and I spent 3 weeks doing the turtle project. I met some truely amazing people while volunteering with PMGY, both staff and other volunteers. The experience at the turtle hatchery was eye opening and very humbling. The accommodation was basic but functional and the PMGY team is fantastic! I would fully recommend the experience to anyone! I had such an amazing time in Sri Lanka!

44 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Alison
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

The real experience

Before coming to Sri Lanka I felt that the support given from the Pmgy team was great, anytime I had any questions they were answered very quickly. I also found the live videos very helpful.

From the moment I arrived in Sri Lanka I felt the team provided excellent service, jäger was waiting at the airport to pick us up and take us to the first place in the real experience. The team provided great support throughout my entire stay.

The accommodation throughout my first two weeks of the experience was great, I enjoyed it and would do it again. I then arrived at river house, which has beautiful scenery and common space for all volunteers.

I loved my projects, my first project was monk teaching, every morning for two weeks! I loved it, planning lessons and presenting them was amazing as you can see how much they appreciate it. In the afternoon I also done the teaching project at one of the summer camps, this was slightly more challenging as my group of children were pre-school and didn’t understand any English. This was very challenging and also very rewarding. I loved it! For my last two weeks I took part in the elephant project! It was amazing walking, cleaning and feeding these beautiful creatures. Such lovely animals, I’d definitely do it again.

Advice for potential volunteers
- bring bedding
- Teaching - be prepared to do lots of planning for lessons, also be prepared to see how people live and what they have compared to us.
- Elephants - be prepared for the elephants in chains as it’s the law. Also, the mahout will hit the elephant with its stick, they are trained through punishment not reward.
- bring a GoPro(I didn’t and I really felt I missed out on capturing a lot of memories)
- MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR EXPERIENCE

52 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Sarah
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing

I had no idea what to expect before I left, I hadn't done anything like this before and felt massively out of my comfort zone - but as soon as I arrived I felt relaxed and safe.
The accommodation was better than I expected - the food was good (obviously you get used to having the same sort of meals every day), I liked that you had the freedom to just go off and get a tuk tuk into Amba and have a wander and explore.
The induction day - I felt was really useful, the staff made me feel more comfortable and I knew from that day that they would help with anything (I ended up having to go to the doctors and they made sure that someone came with me, and they made sure I was okay after). It was really handy to be shown where to go and given a bit more of a background on Sri Lanka and the local area.
I did the orphanage project - and ended up also doing the Monk teaching in the morning too - something that I am so pleased I did! I expected to spend more time with the kids, but after joining the Monks too it was fine. You just have to make sure that you make the most of your free time! When I went to my first day of the projects I was terrified! I felt that the kids didn't listen and I wasn't going to get anywhere - but after a couple of days, you won't want to ever leave!
I would recommend getting day passes to some of the animal projects - I did the turtle one, and it was good to have a change and get to see what the other guys were doing!
I did the weekend trip to Kandy and climbed lions rock, I have heard that you could prob organise it yourself, but I felt a lot more safer going with the organised trip but I guess thats up to you!
I know I only did it for 2 weeks, and it was my first time, but I would recommend PMGY as they were so helpful before I left and during! The team over there were amazing and I am thinking of doing something next year with them too!
Thanks for the opportunity! :)

What would you improve about this program?
With the orphanage project, maybe a better system in place to see what the kids have been learning - I found that the folders weren't up to date, and for the first few lessons, went over the same subjects.
48 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Elorm
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Sri Lanka Medical experience

I must say I love Sri Lanka as a country from the rich culture and the amazing people I stayed with. The whole experience is life changing and make you appreciate what we have as a family. I only stayed for 2 week but it was an action filled adventurous and mind changing experience. The co-ordinators were down to earth and co operative and were my family for the two weeks I stayed there. The accommodation wasn't the best but I did get a good sleep every night and felt safe in the hands of Ashika and the rest of the Sri Lanka team.

What would you improve about this program?
I would say one thing that would need improvement would be advice on how much spending money to bring with us on the trip as well as a longer program for the medical experience.
43 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Millie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Elephant project

I volunteered with the Elephants in Sri Lanka for 3 weeks. It wasn’t what I was initially expecting, but the experience of it all was so much fun and I enjoyed it so much I didn’t want to leave! The two different accomodations allowed you to experience the lifestyle of sri lakans, as well as have some of the home comforts too! Be prepared for the beds though, they aren’t the most comfortable...The people that you meet whilst volunteering makes the experience 100% better and they’re definitely people you will stay in contact with! Cannot wait to go travel again!

47 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Jemma
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Sri Lanka-Mental Health Programme

I volunteered in Sri Lanka for a month in July doing the mental health programme, as the programme was new it was still had a few issues however the staff tried very hard to resolve the issues, the programme allowed an insight into how mental health is dealt with in a developing country which was very interesting. I would recommend the mental health programme however I would also suggest that people are patient with the project and that sometimes things don't go as planned. During my time in the project I visited two different hospitals where I was able to observe patients appointments, I also visited an outpatient clinic which was very insightful and I was allowed to observe the daily routine of the patients and ask many questions about the how the clinic worked, I also volunteered in a special needs school, where my presence was very appreciated and the staff were helpful at explaining what they did to try and improve the childrens education. The local staff were all helpful and very welcoming, especially Manoj and Nalaka.

What would you improve about this program?
The mental health programme just needs a bit more time to make concrete connections due to being a new project, however Sri Lanka is still a developing country so problems are bound to occur.
44 people found this review helpful.
Lucy
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

The Real Experience

Words can't explain how much i enjoyed my time in Sri Lanka doing the Real Experience. Not only have I made a tonne of amazing memories, I have also made life long friends!

In regards to the pre-departure support I felt like I was very prepared. The team provide you with a very in-depth handbook with all the information you need to know about how to get the right visa, what to bring etc. You can also join their page on facebook where you can ask questions to other volunteers and find anyone who may be doing the same project as you so you can make a group chat and get to know them before you go.

The support in Sri Lanka was brilliant. Not once did i feel unsure or unsafe. During the two weeks of travelling we always had Nisha and the bus drivers around if you needed any help and there were plenty of staff available at the volunteer house! The accommodation for the two weeks of travelling were very lovely hotels and the majority of them had a pool. You were catered for every breakfast and dinner there with a buffet - usually consisting of toast & fruit for breakfast and rice & different types of curry for dinner. Lunch was usually at a buffet place somewhere else. We stayed at the River House for the volunteering which was very different to the hotels but that was expected. The dorms were simple with bunk beds and a shared bathroom. The river house itself was lovely, you could go sit by the river and watch the gorgeous sunsets or sunbathe by the pool (although watch out for the ants as they're practically everywhere)

I did the Turtle project in the morning and Teaching in the afternoons. Turtles were great fun although sometimes there would be too many people so there wouldn't be enough things for everyone to do. Releasing the baby turtles was definitely my favourite part, such a good experience! Teaching in the afternoon was great as the kids love learning English. It's definitely more hard work though as their lessons are a lot longer so trying to come up with new games to help them concentrate is quite difficult but there are plenty of folders at the volunteer house with lesson plans that previous volunteers have done so you can come up with games and topics from there.

Please note that within the travelling, there are restrictions on leaving the hotels. The coordinators live in Sri Lanka, they know whether if its safe or not to be leaving the hotels late at night so if they say no then please respect that. You will get the weekends and evenings to do what you please when you get to the volunteer house.

Overall, my time in Sri Lanka is unforgettable and would definitely recommend the Real Experience as you get to travel all of Sri Lanka's main tourist areas as well as volunteering.

44 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers