Animal and Construction Volunteering in Sri Lanka

I will be volunteering in Sri Lanka for 6 weeks

These 6 weeks include:

1 weeks of Building and Community Work, which includes

• Renovation work in a number of community facilities such as Schools, Government Hospitals, Orphanage and Buddhist temples.
• These institutions struggle to find the funding and manpower to undertake important development work
• I will also be making a donation towards the costs for materials and skilled labour required

2 weeks of Elephant Care, which includes

• Working with retired elephant(s)
• Daily care and support for the elephant(s) so they lead a happy life
• Feeding the elephant(s) twice a day - manually collecting leaves and branches of trees as this is their main source of nourishment
• Prepare the meals and hand-feed the elephant(s)
• Washing the elephant(s) twice a day in a small river as well as grooming the elephant(s) daily - coconut shells are used to scrub the elephant's skin to ensure they are clean
• Walking the elephant(s) so they remain healthy - daily exercise
• Clean and maintain the project site - collecting and piling elephant dung which is used as compost, cleaning the elephant(s) bed, helping with the harvesting of banana plants that are grown on the project site.
• Teaching local schools about elephants and conservation

3 weeks of Turtle Care, which includes

• Rehabilitating disabled turtles and protect turtle eggs that are vulnerable to local poachers
• Cleaning and refilling the turtle tanks
• Feeding the turtles
• Cleaning the project premises and the relevant beach area
• Taking care of the nesting area
• Cleaning turtle shells
• Collecting turtle eggs and bringing them to safer location for them to hatch
• Releasing hatched baby turtles into the sea
• Be involved in turtle conservation education at local schools

Where will I be volunteering?

I will be staying in a Volunteer House in Ambalangoda. Ambalangoda is an ocean-side town located on the South West coast of Sri Lanka. Traditionally a fishing community which sometimes causes problems for turtles as sea turtles are often found in fishing nets and many have lost limbs becoming disabled and are no longer able to survive in the wild. The town has essential amenities such as banks, hospitals and shops. Transport links include a central bus, train station and more commonly tuk tuk rides.

When will I be volunteering?

I will be volunteering straight after my A2 Level Exams, around late June - August. The temperature in Sri Lanka around these periods usually reach mid 30 Degrees Celsius.

Why I will be volunteering?

I've always had a passion for volunteering and have not yet had the opportunity to volunteer abroad outside my continent. This is mainly because you have to be a certain age to volunteer (usually 17/18+). I have previously volunteered at Lourdes, France in which we had to fundraise the majority of our funds. I have turned to GoGetFunding this time as I have chosen to volunteer individually and not with my school who provided the opportunity to go to Lourdes. At Lourdes, our main objective was to help/push the disabled/elderly in wheelchairs around Lourdes as well as assisting/spending time with them to ensure they had a good experience. I have also done less significant volunteering such as helping at a Cancer Research UK store and volunteer to help for different marathons. Previously, in my AS year of school, I was part of the Chaplaincy Team in which we went to different local primary (Elementary) schools to teach children about valuable life lessons. I think volunteering is very important especially in our modern society as we need to set an example for future generations to keep giving back, it also gives you a genuine thrill and knowing you're out there making the world a better place (as cheesy as it sounds) is enough to volunteer.

A little bit about me...

My name is Lyka Quipit. I am currently in my final year of Sixth Form (High School) carrying out my A-Levels. I live in Nottingham, England which is where Robin Hood came from. I really like Maths and want to pursue a career in Finance, and I have chosen to volunteer at the end of sixth form as between the end of exams and university is the best time to volunteer (in my opinion) as we will get a few months of free time compared to the average 6 weeks summer holidays.

What you will be funding...

I need funds for...

• Accommodation, Meals, Airport Pick-Up, Local Transport = £1220
• Flights = £450 - £700
• Insurance (£14 per week) = £84
• Return Airport Transfer = £47.50
• 90 Day Visa = £45 (Although I will only be staying there for 6 weeks, the only other available visa is a 30 Day Visa which 6 weeks exceed and so I will have to get the 90 Day Visa)

Total: £1846.50 - £2096.50