Let's Get Quizical Slv

When travelling outside your home country, it is advised to be vaccinated against some of the diseases found in other parts of the world. However it is each volunteer's personal choice whether to have vaccinations for Sri Lanka.

Although all SLV staff have been to Sri Lanka we are not medical practitioners and so are not authorized to dispense health advice.

We recommend that you consult your GP or local travel clinic regarding vaccinations as not all are necessary.

Please read the Flights, Insurance & Jabs document on your SLV participant portal for more information on usually recommended vaccinations when travelling.

 

• The majority of projects can be reached by local bus and walking, although some of the mental health projects require three-wheeler taxis (tuk tuks) or minibuses to get to.
• Volunteers pay for their own transport to and from projects and can expect to spend between £2-£4/$6-6 per week, depending on their timetable.

After you've passed through immigration you will enter 'Arrivals' where a member of the SLV team will be waiting to meet you.

At the airport you can withdraw money and, if you have time, buy a Sri Lankan SIM card.

Once we have you and your luggage in the van we will take groups of volunteers (who've arrived around the same time) to their respective homestays.

The current visa process for SLV is as follows:

3 months before your placement SLV will contact you asking for passport information (to be passed on to the Sri Lankan Immigration Department).
 
About a month before your placement, Sri Lankan Immigration will fax us a list consenting volunteers to apply for an Entry Visa.
 
We will forward you this fax by email so you can use it - along with the necessary documents - to submit your Entry Visa application to your nearest Sri Lankan High Commission (don't leave it until the last minute).

Please read the Acquiring your visa document on you SLV participant portal for more information.

We are based in 5 locations: 3 around the outer district of Colombo (Maharagama, Homagama, Kotte) and 2 slightly further south (Horana and Bandaragama).

Volunteers live in homestays which are allocated according to their placement as well as homestay preferences.

Once you have booked your flights you can complete the departure form on your SLV participant portal with the details of your arriving flight and if you have any homestay preferences. You can name one friend and we will really do our best to accommodate your request.

​Your homestay will provide you with a western breakfast (bread and fruit) and Sri Lankan dinner (a choice of curries with rice) on weekdays (volunteers usually leave to travel on Friday afternoons and eat dinner at their destination).

Although your homestay family will cook for you, it is unlikely that they will ever sit down to eat with you, as it is Sri Lankan custom to allow guests to eat first.

Lunch is not provided - most volunteers buy meals or 'short eats' from local restaurants. In areas where our placements are based, a typical meal of rice and curry can be bought for around 150 rupees - often with enough rice for 2 to share. 

A lot of Sri Lankan cuisine is vegetable based so there is no need for vegetarians (or vegans) to worry about lack of options.

Volunteers are required to cover the cost of all their resources and we recommend that you bring some teaching aids to use during your placement.

Volunteers do buy resources when they are in Sri Lanka; on average spending £3-£10/$5-15 per week.

SLV encourages volunteers to re-use resources to limit waste and unnecessary spending. Please read the kit list document on your SLV participant portal for more recommendations on what resources to bring with you.

If posting your application it must be posted special recorded delivery.

A prepaid, pre-addressed special recorded delivery envelope must ALSO be included so that the Sri Lankan High Commission can return your passport back to you. Without the correct envelope they will not send you back your passport and visa. 

The special delivery (silver bag) is next day delivery and insures items up to £500.
 

All of the placements are varied and include Children's projects, Special Needs projects, and Youth Teaching.

The Mental Health Placement includes two sessions a week at a psychiatric facility.

Monday mornings are dedicated to lesson and activity planning. Friday afternoons are free for travel.

Our teaching projects include Youth Teaching and running activity sessions at Children’s Development Centres, primary schools and temples.
 

We think it's fantastic when volunteers would like to commit more time to their mental health projects. However, in order to protect the needs of the service users and of the volunteers we limit time spent in a psychiatric setting to one day a week. Our varied timetable enables volunteers to apply their diverse skills across different within various facilities. This means that we can have a positive impact across the local community as well as giving volunteers the opportunity to see where their different strengths lie.

Variety is the spice of life!

We have workshops with local professionals to deliver training that is comprehensive and useful. 

You also have some project visits in the first week and shadow current volunteers to give you an idea of the environment you will be working in through out your placement.

The Jungle Weekend is a great way to get to know your fellow volunteers. SLV will provide transport, food and accommodation, as well as organise activities such as White Water Rafting and team building games.
 

 

Your placement will end after your morning project on your last day (so around lunch time). We recommend booking your return flight for the evening of that day at the earliest.

If you choose to stay in Sri Lanka after your placement, you'll need to organise your own accommodation. Many volunteers choose to spend a couple of days relaxing at the beach before flying home. If your placement is for 4 weeks, please check that your return flight is within your 30 days so that you don't overstay your visa!
 

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• Volunteers will not have wifi access in homestays.
• You will be able to use the local internet cafes during the week
• Of course Sri Lanka has the internet. A lot of volunteers do their Skype chats and emails at the weekends as the guest houses and restaurants in tourist areas usually have wifi.
• If you have a smart phone then you can purchase a Sri Lankan SIM with 3G (but please be careful with valuable belongings).

Although you can buy all the basic toiletry products at the local shops and supermarket, the popular brands from home may not be as easy to find and can be comparatively expensive.

• Good quality sun lotion, mosquito repellant with DEET and tampons (or a mooncup or keeper) are items that you'll want to stock up on before you go.
• Volunteers will need to buy their own toilet paper to use in homestays and public toilets. However, this is commonly found in local supermarkets.
• If you're particular about your hair products then bring these too - but either way you'll probably battle with 'hair frizz'.

​Apart from your first weekend in the jungle, weekends (beginning Friday afternoon) are free for volunteers to spend as they choose. Most volunteers choose to relax at the beach or go sight-seeing. We strongly advise using TripAdivsor to find more up to date reviews on guest houses, organised trips and other services in the areas you're planning to visit. Make sure to read a range of reviews. Guidebooks are a great way to start but we've found that even these sometimes recommend places we wouldn't advise volunteers to stay.

SLV cannot be responsible for your conduct at the weekend but strongly encourage volunteers travel together. However Project Managers are always available for you to call in case of emergencies.

We ask that volunteers return to their homestays by 9pm on Sunday.

 

Trains can be slow going but are a 'not to be missed' experience and a great way to see more of the island at the weekends 

So as lovely as they all look, only a couple of these models have the appropriate dress to volunteer on our projects.

• This lady is showing her shoulders and her top is too clingy. No and no! Her full length skirt would be great for teaching projects IF it weren't translucent.
• His plain button up shirt and full length trousers look clean and professional for teaching and mental health projects. His shoes are a nice muted colour and suggest he's ready to get to work, not hit the beach.
• Great for a special needs or children's project. Her shoulders and chest are covered and her trousers are loose which means she can run around and get involved but won't reveal her knees. These sandals are smart enough to be suitable for all projects. Nailed it!
• Save these hippy trousers for the beach. We may be on a tropical island but during the week we're working! It's best to stay away from busy patterns which can be distracting on mental health projects.
• Even a hint of knee is way too much flesh. I don't think we even need to mention that the tattoo should be covered with a bandage or long sleeved top.
• She may be trying to hide behind her shades, but her whole outfit just isn't going to cut it. Her top is revealing her midriff and that slit has got to be sewed up before she even considers packing it for Sri Lanka. 
• This is a prime example of failing the 'sunlight test': an item of clothing that seems opaque when worn indoors becomes translucent when the sun hits it. Not to worry, this can be solved with a petticoat (available at all good Sri Lankan markets) for as little as 200rupees.
• We'd see her underwear if she was wearing any. Slightly translucent tops can be paired with thick strapped vest tops, but try to keep the colour neutral so that the outline of your body isn't revealed.

• We do not recommend bringing large amounts of cash into Sri Lanka​
• The majority of our staff and volunteers choose to use their home country debit cards - ATMs are common in Sri Lanka and you can withdraw money as soon as you arrive in the airport. Remember to let your bank know that you are going to Sri Lanka as they often cancel people’s cards if not warned in advance. 
• Prepaid currency cards can also be purchased. Please read our page on Prepaid Cards Vs Debit Cards.
• Travellers cheques are not recommended as they are not great value and changing them in Sri Lanka can be troublesome.

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• Electric fans are limited to one per room, so you and your room mates will become experts at finding the one exact position where the fan can reach everybody's bed
• Wardrobes and chests of drawers aren't commonly found in Sri Lanka, so please make use of your suitcase or backpack
• Western style toilets are in the volunteer bathrooms
• A washing machine is in every homestay. However, we recommend hand washing your underwear and any of your best clothes
• Hot water is not available in homestays but you will find cold showers are particularly refreshing
• Each bed has a mosquito net
• The same basic single bed, mattress and bedding is provided for everyone - you aren't expected to sleep on the floor

Cold showers are a great way to cool down in the afternoon

• Volunteers are provided with clean bedding at the homestays, however some may feel more comfortable bringing their own sheet or liner.
• Antibacterial hand sanitizer is a useful way of keeping your hands clean when out all day, especially as you will be eating with your hands.
• A waterproof jacket is great for short Sri Lankan downpours.
• Padlocks are handy to secure your bag whilst travelling on the weekends.
• Plug adaptors can be bought in Sri Lanka very cheaply.
• SLV recommends that volunteers put together their own first aid kit.
• You definitely won’t need a hair dryer (or straighteners).
• We don’t allow volunteers to give gifts to individuals on our projects.
• Bringing a small gift for your homestay family (such as biscuits or chocolate) is a really nice gesture and can help to break the ice. 
• Your homestay will have cutlery if you’re really struggling, but most volunteers really enjoy eating with their hands…once they get the hang of it.