Volunteer with Turtles in Sri Lanka

 

The Program

Location: Ambalangoda, Sri Lanka
Starting Dates 2012 : 2 January, 16 January, 30 January, 13 February, 27 February, 12 March, 26 March, 9 April, 23 April, 7 May, 21 May, 4 June, 18 June, 2 July, 16 July, 30 July, 13 August, 27 August, 10 September, 24 September, 8 October, 22 October, 5 November, 19 November, 3 December, 17 December, 31 December
Arrival and departure: Bandaranaike International Airport on the Sunday before the start date
Minimum Stay: From 2 weeks

Your program will start with an airport pickup at Bandaranaike International Airport. You need to arrive on the Sunday before your start date. You can join from 2 weeks up to 6 months. The first week of the program will be an Introduction week. The Introduction week is the first step towards a comfortable stay in a new country.

You will stay in a Homestay during your volunteering work. Meals are included in the program. There are 3 meals per day from Monday to Friday and 2 meals per day on weekends. The minimum age for joining the program is 18. Volunteers aged 16-18 years can join the program provided they get a letter of permission from their parents.

 

Introduction & Orientation Week

You will start your program with an introduction and orientation week. The Introduction Week will be held in the city of Kandy and is the first step towards a great stay in a new country. It’s an action packed and fun filled week that is dedicated to getting to know Sri Lanka in all its cultural aspects with a first hand live in experience. You will also get time to meet the local people, taste the local cuisine and get familiar with the Sri Lankan customs. Accommodation during the introduction week will be in Kandy in the Volunteer Centre in shared bedrooms.  

The schedule will be flexible but all introduction weeks usually consist of:
Sri Lanka: Culture, religion, habits, customs, history, social issues, are some of the topics that we will introduce you to through group discussions, workshops and visits.
Language Skills: A first contact with Singhalese and you will learn a few phrases to get by.
Projects: If you proceed to do a volunteer project, we will give you an overview of the ongoing projects we support and send volunteers to, and an explanation of your particular placement. There will also be a project visit on site.
General Information: Many new things will be introduced to you through some sessions on yoga, cooking, team work, project work, customs, habits, behavioral aspects, dos & don’ts, and emergency preparation.
Cultural Site Visits and meeting people will acclimatize you culturally. You will have the opportunity to visit market places, and natural sites in groups or individually during free time.
Group Games will be the style of operation of our coordinators during the orientation week to make the theoretical sessions as dynamic as possible.Do not forget to bring items from your home (photos, music, food) to be able to talk about your place and your culture.

Itinerary Introduction Week
Monday
We will start the week with an introduction into the program and an explanation of the week’s activities. We will do a small excursion around the town of Kandy and have lunch in town. In the evening, we will watch a traditional performance of Kandyan dancers. We will have dinner on our return back at the guesthouse.
Tuesday
After breakfast, we will have a session on Sri Lankan culture, and some guides on the dos and don’t’s in the Sri Lankan society. In the afternoon, we will visit a local temple and the rest of the evening would be free
Wednesday
We will start the day with language lesions and later a session on Sri Lankan religion and Mythology. In the afternoon, we will have a session on what it is to be a volunteer in Sri Lanka and expectations. The evening would be free.
Thursday
In the morning, we will have language lesions and after we will have a session on religion and an introduction into Buddhism. In the afternoon, we will have a session on cultural shock and women travelers. In the evening, we will visit a Sri Lankan host family and have dinner with them.
Friday
We will start the day with language lesions. We will make a visit to the famous Temple of the Tooth and have lunch in town. In the afternoon we will visit a local Hindu temple. We will have a group session when we return back in the evening.
Weekend
Free Time.

 

 

 

Program Requirements

The minimum age for joining the program is 18.

 

Sea Turtle Protection Project

The Sea Turtle Protection Project is located in Ambalangoda, one of the most touristic coastal city of Sri Lanka. The project is located at the Hikkaduwa Turtle Conservation Center and it is under the Wild Life Department of Sri Lanka. The Sea Turtle Protection project started as a the project of our partner in 1980 to protect the endangered turtles native to Sri Lanka. It was established in order to increase the working capacity of the project and to allow communication links between people of various backgrounds who are able to provide new inputs and suggest new ideas and concepts to aid and improve the overall future success of the project.

As volunteer for this turtle conservation project you will be assigned a specific area of focus within the project depending on your requirement. Past volunteers have provide their time and energy for the betterment of this conservation project and we welcome volunteers from all over the world to join this project.

First the participants works with the staff at the project and they will be getting a chance to work alone when they are more comfortable with the project. These activities are part of the project : collecting of turtle eggs, identifying different kinds of turtles, hatching of eggs, treatments for turtles, feeding the turtles, cleaning of the turtles, sending the turtles back to the sea and explain about the turtle project to the visitors. Volunteers also help the staff of the project to clean the beaches. Volunteers work Monday to Friday.

 

Prices

 

What's included:

• Volunteer Program
• Airport pickup
• Accommodation
• Introduction Week
• Meals
• Support
• Certificate of Completion
• Pre-departure information

Not included in the prices is your flight, insurance, visa, personal expenses.

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