Volunteer in Sri Lanka

Travel to Sri Lanka. This exotic, mysterious and tropical island country is steeped in legends and has over 2500 years of continuous, documented history. Sri Lanka continues to lure visitors – like in ancient times – with its breathtaking scenery, palm-skirted beaches, cool hill country and historical monuments. IFRE’s Sri Lanka volunteer program gives volunteers a chance to explore a stunning land full of tropical forests, pristine beaches, important wildlife sanctuaries and significant Buddhist relics and religious buildings, all while serving humanity in vital volunteer projects.

Volunteers will find joy in the well-kept secret that is Sri Lankan cuisine and locals welcome travelers with pride, despite, race, or culture. Sri Lanka is consistently ranked a top destination travel spot by many major newspapers and magazines in the western world. “Unique ecosystems, inspiring heritage sites from ancient cities to colonial forts, a vibrant culture including fine arts and crafts and grand festivals, and a people of diverse ethnicity and religious persuasion, charming and hospitable.

Volunteer Work Projects and Locations

IFRE’s Sri Lanka volunteer program focuses on supporting local orphanages, teaching English in local schools, teaching Buddhist monks, and elephant orphanage and turtle conservation project.

Volunteer Program Fee & Dates:

Start Dates:Volunteer programs starts on the following (first and third Monday of each month)

IFRE is a 501(c)3 organization, so your program fee will be tax deductible. IFRE Volunteers is proud to offer an extensive assortment of programs at very reasonable prices (and may rank “best priced and best value” among the many volunteer abroad organizations in the USA/Europe/New Zealand). Our programs are now more affordable than ever. We are proud to focus on the humanitarian aspect of our business, not the profit. We work very hard and smart to keep costs down, especially for you the volunteer, as we know the value of your donated time and efforts. We remain devoted to maintaining both the quality of the program and the safety of all volunteers involved. Below is a brief summary of the program fee and services that IFRE Volunteers offers.

IFRE fees comprise of two separate fees. An application fee of $349 USD (covers advertising, staff/office expenses, etc.) and a nominal weekly program fee (covers room/board, insurance, field support, etc).

Language and Cultural Immersion

In Sri Lanka, IFRE offers one week of Language and Cultural orientation in Galle, a small beautiful tourist city about 4 hours from Colombo. This weeklong intensive language and cultural immersion program includes language training, lessons on history, culture and Sri Lankan ways of life. Sinhalese and Tamil are the two official languages of Sri Lanka. Program participants will also visit local villages, towns and markets, guided city exploration and local tourist attractions including beautiful beaches and wildlife sanctuaries.

This IFRE language and culture program aims to submerge you in Sri Lankan culture, history and ways of life to vastly improve your time as a volunteer in Sri Lanka. When you understand the life and culture around you, your experience is richer and more rewarding. However, you can choose to take the Language and Cultural immersion program or go directly into a volunteer project. This experience should not be missed! So many international travelers wish they could have an opportunity such as this to receive a briefing on customs, language and history.

Find Details of Language & culture program

Arrangement of Room/Food/Supervision

In Sri Lanka, all volunteers stay with well-screened host families (in most situations this is with our in-country coordinator or local staffs). Our host families are socially respected and are well versed in the art of hosting international volunteers. Host families offer a safe home, private rooms (occasionally rooms will be shared with other same-gender volunteers) and shared bathroom facilities with running water and a “local” style toilet. You receive three prepared meals per day. If you will be out of the house during lunch hour, you can request a lunch "to go" that you can take with you or eat out on your own. Host families provide typical meals that are traditional to Sri Lanka. Rooms are shared, as are bathroom and kitchen facilities. For a small additional fee, volunteers can opt to stay in a modest seaside motel. Please note this preference in the initial volunteer application.

Throughout the volunteer project, our local staff stays in contact with volunteers with either face-to-face visits or via email/telephone and volunteers have 24/7 access to our in-country staff. With longer placements, we visit our volunteers every two weeks (when possible) and volunteers are always welcome at the local office. If project placement is local, we request that volunteers stop by the office once a week to keep us posted on how they are doing with their home stay and project. If project placement is very far, then our local staff members maintain communication by either email and/or phone.

Volunteer Program Free Time

Volunteers have free time for the duration of their volunteer project, weekends and the Language and Culture program. While IFRE does not arrange activities during this time off, our local staff, members and coordinators can provide priceless assistance in making appropriate arrangements for travel around Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is a natural paradise of Asia. There are tremendous opportunities for travel and exploration. Free time allows for travel to major tourist areas such as Colombo, Kandy, Negombo, Anuradhapura, Sigiriya and Dambulla. Volunteers can relax and simply hike in their village or ride bicycles. Sri Lankans also perform a variety of daily rituals and religious activities that volunteers can participate in, with their host family. Please discuss your recreation options with our Sri Lanka project staff for activities available in your free time.

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