The Most Affordable Volunteer in Sri Lanka from $155- 25K happy Volunteers Since 2006

Overall my experience in this program was a good one. With the help of this program I feel like I have grown so much. Sri Lanka is a beautiful country with some of the most amazing people I have ever met.

My partner and I stayed with Michael and his family, which were all just incredible. Michael was an amazing host, he guided us throughout the entire two weeks of our program and even after we left to travel around the country, he was always ready to help through Whatsapp. Michael organised our daily transport to and from the hospital which was great. He also organised trips for us which were also so much fun. They prepared food for us every day which was delicious. He and his family are very caring and always with a smile on their face. They thought us so much about their culture. We will definitely stay in touch with them.

The actual medical exposure was also eye-opening. We could see how the medical team makes use of little resources to provide the best health care that they can. Nonetheless, my partner and I were a bit disappointed in the fact that the program was not a voluntary type but a more of a medical elective. We did not participate in any medical procedures, something which we both thought we will do.

Sri Lanka Medical experience was an eye opening experience I was able to observe and see medical pathologies and conditions that we do not really get in the western world. During my 2 weeks placement at the hospital I was able to appreciate the art of clinical diagnosis via examination, something that again in the western world is being lost due to the increase accessibility to radiological and laboratory investigations.

The host family that we were living with in Sri Lanka have been amazing, they made us (my partner and I) feel at home. Michael (Host), is an amazing guy, he used to help us and guide us through everything we wanted to do in Sri Lanka both throughout those 2 week while doing our medical placement and even after since we decided to travel around Sri Lanka after finishing the placement.

The only disappointment that both my partner and myself have expressed is that this is not a volunteering project but instead this is a medical elective, but none the less we still made the most out of it and we were still able to obtain some medical knowledge both from the doctors themselves and even from the other medical students.

I wanted do to something very useful for cative elephants, to improve their life. Here, you can discover how elephants are used by sri lankan people, and why. It is not just a place where captive elephants can rest, the staff really try to change the mentality of sri lankan people about elephants and their need of care. All the staff is very kind with volunteer, and answer to any questions. The vet is really important in this program because he works with owners of elephants to assure a good quality of life of their elephants, and try to make them understand that perahera and poja is not good for elephants, because it is a lot of stress, loud sound, and cages on their back hurt them a lot.
The foundation is not perfect, but they try to changes a lot of things.

The experience at the orphanage was incredible, life changing and deeply humbling. When you embark on an experience such as this there is a lot that goes through you mind. You wonder how everything will be and you hope that your time is part of a bigger picture that is helpful and I guess important.

The children at the orphanage were a true delight! Mischievous, good, kind, funny and at times, yes naughty! All the things you would expect from any child around the world! They are a real mix of personalities and you can see despite the reason that has brought them into a government system that they are still individuals with a lot to offer the world.

Michael, the Co-Ordinator is lovely.

Sri Lanka overall is a beautiful country with amazing, kind and helpful people. I was there when the bombs went off in Colombo. The people were devastated by what happened and rallied together. There is a great fear that this will completely destroy the tourism industry that has started to boom. I felt completely safe in Sri Lanka, more so than any other country I have traveled to. Remember - something bad can happen anywhere in the world at anytime. Do not let this make you change your mind in going there. It is a special country.

The volunteering has been amazing and eye opening, the children are the most kid and sweetest I have ever met. The teachers are nice but some can be cold to new comers. The hours at the orphanage are great as you can do the whole day (8:30-6) or half day (8:30-12/1:00) and explore the city of Galle and the surrounding towns. The other volunteers I live with are amazing and have become close friends over the course of the 5 weeks staying here. Micheal’s house is a great place to stay as it is on the main Colombo-Galle road and right across from the beach, the other volunteers and I love to walk on the beach and watch the sunsets, see turtles and watch kids play cricket and soccer at the beach. The food served at Micheal’s is fresh and just like the way my Sri Lankan Acci makes at home, it’s amazing to watch and see the process. I would highly recommend doing this trip it has changed me as a person so much (for the better) anyone and everyone should do it

I would definitely recommend this experience. I worked at the orphanage for only 3 weeks, and still I felt like those kids were mine. They need so much love and they give love to you as well. It was hard to leave them...
It is also hard to see them leaving in those conditions, but after a while you get used to it. However, as I mentioned below, most of the teachers and the stuff working there are very rude wirh any volunteer. They do not give any love to the kids and they get angry if you try to play with them or kiss them. I honestly thought that that was very sad; even if they are clearly frustrated they should not treat the children like that.
They stay at Michael's was good! He and his family are super kimd, and available for any kind of need you can have. He also organized few trips for the foreigners that were staying at his place, all of them at a fair price.

Participating in the medical program in Sri Lanka at Karapitiya teaching hospital was definintly a lifechanging experience! Doing my 8 weeks of volunteer work I learnt so much about the different units I was connected to and myself. The doctors have been so good to teach, explain and answer every question I got. Participating in the program has made me so much more sure about my decision becoming a doctor! My stay was also more than just the medical impact - thanks to Micheal - the host - there was so helpful with whatever and was arranging a lot of trips around the whole beautiful Sri Lanka. Michaels home became a connecting
meeting point and platform for growing friendships between us volunteers from all over the world. When we did finish our volunteer time in the afternoons and weekends we went to see the amazing sights, that Sri Lanka has to offer.

If you got same considerations and want to experience a new culture and new sides of yourself, then I can only give my warmest recommendations!

Greatly enjoyed my time volunteering in Sri Lanka while staying at a wonderful host families house. The host, Michael, was very supportive and helped us with every question we had. I learned a lot from the Physical Therapist and enjoyed teaching the young Buddhist monks English. The other volunteers I stayed with were also very fun to travel with and we all became close friends by the end of it. The weekend trips were pretty fun as well and I would recommend taking full advantage of all the adventures that Sri Lanka has to offer. Galle was also a great place for surfing and we loved going to the beaches to hang out and surf for the afternoon after volunteering. I wish I had just a bit more time to explore the country. I would highly recommend to others considering this program.