PMGY - Volunteer in Sri Lanka from $270

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.

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.

I have just completed 8 weeks volunteering with Plan My gap year in Sri Lanka and I had a great time!

The support before you depart was amazing, walking me through every aspect of my trip and answering any questions I had with no hesitation. This continued in country with an amazing group of local and western co ordinators to aid your trip in any and every way possible. The co ordinators are a credit to Plan my gap year and made my trip more enjoyable and memorable.

I volunteered in the teaching programmes whilst in Sri Lanka and whilst this was incredibly challenging (preparing and making all your resources without a computer or printer, the language barrier and no curriculum to follow) I really enjoyed my time with the children and they taught me whilst I was teaching them. What a great experience!

As a solo traveller I felt safe throughout my whole trip and was able to meet so many likeminded people and I have made lasting friendships with them.

I would definitely recommend Plan my gap year.

In regards to pre-departure support, I feel that there was lots of support given in term of the webinars and the handbook, I feel the handbook listed the information I required prior to this trip.
In terms of in country support, this was very good, there was always a coordinator around to help if you needed it, even late at night. There is security always on duty which made me feel safe. A member of my group needed medical attention and I can honestly say the support she was given from both the Sri Lankan staff (Manoj) and English staff (Steph) was amazing! They coordinated for her to see a specialist within 20 minutes and were at the hospital by her side for her whole experience.
I stayed at River House, it was nice as it was all outside, rooms were basic with bunk beds, the biggest positive was that it had air conditioning. A negative is that there was only one bathroom in the building shared between a lot of people, but once you find the toilets and showers by the pool it made life lots easier.
I was on the medical programme, overall it was a pleasant experience, visiting both the local government hospital and the local Ayurveda hospital. It was good to see the difference in health care between the UK and Sri Lanka. I would have liked to have been more involved and hands on, but I knew this before the programme started. When being on the wards in the hospital it was difficult as not many of the nurses spoke English, but I still managed to get involved in terms of reading notes and spending times with patients. Manoj (local coordinator) really does his best to ensure you have a pleasant time, however, there is a barrier between what the doctors have agreed for the volunteers to do/observe and what the nurses allow you to do.
Overall, a pleasant experience.

I have just returned from Sri Lanka after being there for one month doing the medical project. About the project, although it was not as I expected, I was able to see how hospitals work there and I also saw some interesting things like operations and deliveries. However, as it was not a project in which you felt needed, in addition some of us signed up for the orphanage project for two weeks during the afternoon (without any problem). The little girls in the Girls Orphanage are so cute and they are very excited for you to come and teach and play with them. The rest of the afternoons we were able to visit other cities, go to the beach and go shopping for souvenirs.

I also went to the "Adventure, hill country & safari weekend trip" and to the " Cultural triangle & elephants weekend trip". I would recommend them if you want to see the inner part of the country. We saw many awesome views and cultural events in the two of them. I would just notice that you have to be prepared for many hours on bus. However, if you preferred going to the beach, the staff would help you preparing your trip and would recommend you the best places.

The local staff is really nice and helps you with everything you need!

To sum up, this trip has given me the opportunity to discover the real Sri Lanka, try new food, learn other cultures, meet new people (western and local), and live an experience I have never had before.

I was incredibly excited to go to Sri Lanka after my first year of uni! It was the first time I had travelled alone, so I was not only nervous about making it there, but also ensuring that PMGY were actually there to pick me up from the airport. Naturally, both were completely fine, and as soon as I walked out of arrivals there was a PMGY representative waiting!

The drive from the airport to Ambalamgoda is long and it was a culture shock experiencing Sri Lankan driving, especially at night! There are no rules of the road there, so prepare yourself!

Accommodation at London House was great and Ashika and his family are some of the loveliest people I have ever met- they will make you feel so welcome!

The project itself I had mixed feeling about. I was so excited to work with elephants before I left and the first few times I went to project I was amazed about being up and close with them. However, after a few trips I became more aware of the fact that the elephants were chained at the feet. This is nothing to do with PMGY, but an unfortunate law that exists in Sri Lanka which Ashika himself has campaigned against!! The experience is once in a lifetime and the ability to clean and feed the elephants was amazing, but it was a shame that for me personally it was clouded slightly by the existing regulations.

Overall my experience was amazing. The people that I met out there were fab and my absolute highlight was the Maldives Chill Out Wekend. It was the most amazing place I have ever been and would go again immediately! It is SUCH great value for money!!!

I was so excited to go to Sri Lanka in the summer after my A level exams; it was my way of cramming a gap year into one month before university. We arrived early in the morning and were instantly welcomed by the coordinators - they made the whole trip so easy because they were so easy to talk to and would go out of their way to help you. Sri Lanka is such a beautiful country and being on the elephant project meant I got to see a lot of the scenery every day as we drove to project. The only way to get the most out of your project is to get completely stuck in - sometimes hands are better than a shovel! The highlight of my day was always feeding the elephants after their scrub. They're so cheeky and will try to cram as many cucumbers in their mouth as they can! I really recommend the Cultural Triangle weekend trip as a way to explore a lot of Sri Lanka quickly and in a stress-free way. The view from the top of Lion Rock is incredible! Thank you to all the amazing people I met who made the whole experience unforgettable!

Reading the pre-departure volunteer handbook really help me prepare for the journey despite not being available for any of the webinar. Whilst flying I was quite worried as my final flight was delayed so I text someone through the in country support phone number and got a response so quick and made me feel a lot more relaxed. I was at River house for the entire stay and loved it, at first I felt slightly disappointed purely because I had only watched the London house tour and thought it looked amazing. I realized that Riverhouse was beautiful and I felt more located in Sri Lanka and I really enjoyed my room, I got on straight away with my roommates whom I'll be seeing in October. I loved the freedom that you had where you could walk to and from the restaurant, there was a swing and a large pool and the views you see are absolutely stunning! On the turtle conservation project I did expect to do a little more in the first week rather than alternating feeding and painting as I am not an artist, and we finished an hour early. We spoke to a staff member and they came to project the next week and had a look round then after that we had more to do, we fed, did beach cleaning, we cleaned the turtle's shells, and applied their medication, cleaned their tanks and did a release!
My advice to anyone thinking of PMGY, volunteering in Sri Lanka or working with turtles would be to do it. It was the most amazing experience in my life so far. PMGY made my first volunteering trip a memorable one and Sri Lanka is a beautiful country where the local are always very kind and the turtle conservation Staff - Soni and Rana are so lovely and always happy to talk about all the turtles and encourage you to get completely stuck in.