Volunteering in Sri Lanka

For students or apprentices in the department of medicine, this medical internship offers a great opportunity to get some insights into the local medical practices, which are very different from the European ones. Often there is only a basic set of instruments and medicines available for the local doctors to treat the patients. You will participate in the same training programs as the medical students at the University of Colombo.

The idyllic highland and ancient temples are the reason why many tourists travel to Hill Country, right in the heart of the island. This is exactly where Kandy – the undisputed cultural center of Sri Lanka, is located, in which your journey will begin. Kandy offers a good balance between exotic culture and tourism and is therefore the perfect place to spend the first days during an introduction week. As a volunteer you have the opportunity to support local teachers in various kindergartens and schools during English classes.

About a one hour drive away from Kandy you will find Hanguranketha. As volunteer teacher in preschools and private schools you can bring the English language closer to the children through games and music Hanguranketha, too.

It only takes about 5 hours by train or 3 hours by taxi to get in a completely different world: the coastal town of Ambalangoda. This place on the Indian Ocean is a popular spot for turtles to return over and over again to lay their eggs. During the volunteer work in a turtle conservation center you can help the animal keepers to protect these endangered species and maintain the population. There are about 5 different species in the conservation center: the leatherback turtle, the loggerhead turtle, the hauxville and the green sea turtle as well as the olive ridley turtle.

Describing Sri Lanka without sinking into endless wanderlust is almost impossible! On a relatively small terrain, just as large as Ireland, you will travel from one world to the next within a really short time. Even if Sri Lanka was shaped by Buddhism, traders and travelers from Europe, Saudi Arabia or other Asian countries have left their mark there. Today Sri Lanka is a multicultural country, which has at last left behind years of civil wars and is now building a new national identity. Having some background knowledge about the country itself and its history has never hurt anybody and will certainly help you to be more prepared for your volunteer work in Sri Lanka.

Country information and history of Sri Lanka