Volunteering Abroad!

Volunteers’ Responsibilities

As a volunteer teaching English in Sri Lanka, you will be teaching students in rural schools. Depending on your individual interests and skills, and on the needs of the local staff, your daily activities involve, but are not limited to:

• Teaching basic English to the children
• Assisting the main English teacher with lessons and activities
• Teaching other subjects such as Math or Science
• Playing with the children
• Organizing extracurricular activities such as music, dancing, sports, art, games, etc.
• Teaching life skills such as painting, sewing, cooking, etc
• Holding debates and discussions to improve on conversational skills
• Promoting nutrition and health amongst the children
• Helping to raise funds for schools
• Organizing educational tours and field trips
• Work alongside the local teachers on curriculum development
• Assisting school administrations with daily tasks
• Helping with basic maintenance of schools
• Aiding local school staff in any way possible

How You Can Make a Difference

There is a high demand for the English language in Sri Lanka, because fluency in the language relates to educational and employment success.

However, schools often lack well-qualified English teachers, and as a result many children are deprived of the essential English skills. Your assistance will help the schools to teach the language to the children.

The children will be excited to learn the language from an international volunteer, and the schools will be able to benefit from your help and teaching methods as well. If you are interested in teaching, this is the best opportunity to gain experience in a fledging, rural community.

Skills and Qualifications

There are no specific qualifications needed to volunteer in the Orphanage program, except a fluency in the English language, both written and spoken.

Your understanding of the Sri Lankan culture and language can help to improve the experience for both you and the students. We recommend enrolling in our one-week Language & Cultural Immersion program.

You should have a passion to teach and aspire to help your students. Volunteers should be good role models, flexible, patient, caring, creative, responsible and open-minded. Volunteers must also respect the locals and the host organizations, along with their rules and projects.

Project Location

This location program is located in Galle, approximately 120km from Colombo. It is a small and beautiful town, and one of the most popular tourist spots in Sri Lanka. Galle boasts a pristine, beautiful coastline and diverse landscapes including beaches, marshlands, dry plains and hills.

There are many prominent landmarks in Galle that stands as an ideal example of a fortified city built by the Europeans in South and Southeast Asia. The lasting architectural style is a unique fusion of European buildings with South Asian traditions.

The Galle Fort is a world heritage site and remains the largest fortress in Asia built by Europeans.

Free time allows volunteers to explore beautiful beaches or visit various Buddhist and Hindu temples as well as mosques, churches, parks, zoos, national parks, museums and art galleries.

Many beautiful communities on the north side of Galle provide a chance to explore Sri Lankan village life. Volunteers will have access to internet cafés and other traveler amenities in Galle and many restaurants in Galle serve western-style foods.