Sri Lanka Volunteer Programs from $27/day | Most Affordable & Trusted

I decided to partake in IVHQ Sri Lanka's teaching program for 6 weeks as my first big adventure away from home and easily fell into new friendships, different experiences and a delightful taste of the culture all around the country. The program blew my expectations out of the water. The accommodations are brilliant, the food is delicious and the coordinators are very helpful and enjoyed helping to make the most out of my stay. Over the weeks, I taught English, worked at an orphanage for children with disabilities, and renovated several temples. My projects included accommodations in Hill Country, Kandy and Sigiriya, and the program allowed enough flexibility for me to try a different project every week. A applaud the company's loyalty to their volunteers and suggest that the coordinators organize themselves more through communication, as sometimes information was unnecessarily vague. All in all, I enjoyed my time I Sri Lanka thanks to IVHQ's affordable program. If it wasn't for the affordability, I wouldn't have been able to jump into the most exciting and impactful summer of my life.

July 3rd, I wait patiently in the airport. Overwhelmed with emotions and thoughts. I'm surrounded by new people and a new environment. 21 and it's my first time traveling abroad alone and my first time overseas. 9,500 miles from hom and at first I was completely unsure of how to feel. This is where I'd spend the next four weeks living and volunteering with IVHQ. After a bus ride filled with friendly jet lagged strangers and anticipation, we arrive at the green-lion volunteer house. This very moment I couldn't tell if I had made the best or worst decision of my life; soon enough I'd realize it was the best. Volunteering abroad was the best decision I could have made for myself. What seemed to have been a lifetime in the beginning went by in the blink of an eye. Completely out of my comfort zone and home sick, I learned to adapt to my surroundings. I think we begin to grow when we are uncomfortable; being uncomfortable means learning new things. Learning new things about yourself and your surroundings. Volunteering abroad taught me more than any textbook or professor ever has. There are some lessons we must learn on our own; the ones they don't teach you in school. I learned to appreciate every little thing life has given me, I learned to embrace each moment as if it might be the last, I learned to laugh through the hard times, and most importantly I learned a lot about unconditional love. In those very moments, those moments of volunteering, it becomes overwhelming. Everyday is a lesson on its own, and at first it's a lot to take in. After you're done though, that's when it all sinks in. It sinks in how much of an impact you made on at least one persons life. It sinks in how much love you and the people you were surrounded by have to give. You realize you're far greater than you give yourself credit for. You become aware that there's a whole other world out there than what you're use to. You become stronger; mentally and emotionally. I developed friendships with people that will last a lifetime. I have memories that I'll never forget. I have stories that I'll never get tired of telling. I had an experience of a lifetime. Volunteering abroad was the hardest, yet most amazing experience of my life. IVHQ is the most affordable volunteer abroad program, but I promise you can't put a price tag on what you'll gain from volunteering abroad. I can't put a price tag on the laughter, tears, and memories I now share with the lovely people I met along my journey. I will never forget my time spent in Sri Lanka. Even though there were days I missed my family and my own bed, I wouldn't trade my experience for anything. I will forever cherish my time spent abroad and Sri Lanka and the people I met will always hold a special place in my heart. I encourage every person to challenge themselves to go and work in a foreign land. It won't be easy, it won't always be fun and exciting, but I can tell you one thing for sure it will always be worth it in the end.

I really enjoyed my time volunteering on the Turtle Conservation with Sri Lanka. I felt very safe during my entire stay which was very important as it was my first time travelling alone. Really enjoyed the project and felt like I was doing my bit helping the community and especially the turtles as they wouldn't be able to survive without the help of volunteers on the project and the few locals who work on the project (only 2/3 people).

If you want to read more in-depth about what we had to do on the project and what my experience was you can read about it here on my blog: https://roamingtheorbis.wordpress.com/

I love kids. Always have and always will. I also love summer and the heat. I study a degree that will allow me to one day work with children and has provided me with numerous pracs in childcare and clinics. It was this passion and my love of endless summer that led me to choosing to volunteer at a childcare in Sri Lanka.

On the 18th of December I embarked on my 3 week journey with my brother whom was also going to volunteer. The first week was spent taking part in all the cultural and touristic sights of Sri Lanka with the other volunteers. This was by far one of the best weeks of my life. Due to the Christmas period there was only a total of 11 of us as opposed to their norm of 60. We went to Sigiriya (natural wonder of the world), climbed the Rose Quartz Mountain, went to numerous Hindu and Buddhist Temples and as well as this received a beautiful ayurvedic massage on Christmas Day. The coordinators were fantastic and they catered and listened to all our needs and wants and even cooked us a fantastic traditional western Christmas Dinner. Most of the week we of course lived off rice and curry. Can you believe after eating this for breakfast, lunch and dinner for three weeks straight I am craving it each day at home? All in all the first week was a massive hit, I made life long friends and truly experienced Sri Lankan custom. However, the holiday week was needing to finish as we were all here of course for volunteering!

I chose the new program of working in the Daycare in the heart of Kandy City. Due to the small number of us I was alone on this program. I was nervous of course, I did not know how to speak Sinhala and these were just children... what if they do not like me? Day one was a hard one for me emotionally and mentally. After just helping at a clean, planned-to-the-minute childcare back home I was shocked. I mean I knew what I would be coming into but seeing everything in real life really puts a new perspective into everything. That day I held back my tears and ended up forming a close bond with the children, we played chase, I fed them and I let them do my hair. Other than that there were no toys, books and the day was not planned out for them. The three teachers however, could not speak a word of english and I sensed they saw me as an outsider. They did not offer me the tea they all drank nor attempted to speak to me. I trudged on home on the local bus that afternoon with the coordinator, feeling sorry for myself.

That night the manager came to my friend who chose the babies orphanage and loudly exclaimed a large donation of toys and diapers had been given to them. My emotions from that day got the best of me and I blurted out to him that the children at the daycare would benefit just as much with these toys as the babies. He agreed and handed me some to take tomorrow.

So day two I excitedly caught the local bus with bags of toys under both arms. I do not think I will ever forget the joy on the children and the teachers faces when I walked in with two bags of colourful building blocks. In Australia the blocks are hardly ever touched at the childcare and if they are then only for around 10 minutes. We spent a good three hours playing and making castles with the blocks and the children even learnt some numbers and colours in english. However, the biggest change that day was the teachers attitude, they stopped seeing me as this outsider and shared their first cup of sugary tea with me!

The next few days were a blur as I grew so used to seeing the smiley children's faces each morning as I walked through the gate as well as the teachers. My days were spent cleaning, painting the chairs and tables, changing and feeding the children, playing with them and teaching them simple english words. On my last day the children and teachers all stood up and loud and proudly counted from 1-10 as well as naming the simple five colours. That was the most moving and touching moment in my entire 21 years of existence. As well as this I received at least 3 cups of tea a day as well as biscuits and marshmallows.

Would I recommend this program to others? Definitely. However, you need to be aware that english will hardly be spoken and this may cause some frustration with both the children and the teachers. Also, you are not just there to 'play' with the children but need to help out with all the duties including toileting.

I spent 2 weeks in Kandy doing the Teaching project, in the preschool and the girls' orphanage, and I loved every minute I was there. In the mornings, I would work in the preschool. Here, I would help the teachers conduct their school activities, and made sure that the children were paying attention and taking part. They are only 3-4 years old and there's about 30 of them, so there are times when they become a little uncontrollable and you would have to help to make sure they behave. But they're very sweet and love asking questions. Then, in the afternoon, I would go to the girls' orphanage. Here, I worked on sewing projects with 4 of the girls. I don't know how to sew, but that wasn't really a problem, because the girls are very good at it. We made a lot of things together. The accommodation was way better than I was expecting. Every room had a bathroom (yes, there's hot water!), the house was neat, the food was excellent, and the staff and coordinators were always extremely helpful.

My international volunteer experience was the trip of my life! I've travelled alot too! I felt like the staff were flexible and worked hard to make myself and the other volunteers happy, despite how extreme the requests. Two friends and myself decided to spend our first of two week volunteer experience doing interactive cultural activities in Kandy. This gave us a meaningful understanding of the culture and oppportunity to feel embedded within the community. Our second week was doing sea turtle conservation in Ambalangoda and this was a nice transition, ending on the beach. I felt like my work with the turtles really made a difference through feeding, cleaning, and caring for them. The staff continued to reiterate the importance of the fees paid to program sustaining the turtle farms and staff. What made the experience special was the relationships with the other volunteers and staff. I felt like a family member by the end. My favorite activity was releasing the baby turtles to their real home! Make sure to bring bug spray, pad locks for safes, and games to play in free time.

My experience teaching the Buddhist monks English was an unforgettable and inspiring experience. I taught them and I also learnt a lot from them. The young boys were so placid and sweet. One day they took us to the Temple and showed us how to meditate. It was so peaceful and I will always remember my time with the Monks. I also loved meeting other volunteers and made some lovely friends.

The programs are very well organised, with staff always checking that things are running smoothly and ethically and the communication is great. The accommodation in Kandy and Ambalangoda are fantastic. There are a lot of programs to choose from and there was more being organised when I was there. Overall the volunteer organisations were fantastic. Would definitely go again.