Boxing Day Dip – Sri Lanka Mental Health Volunteer Placement

Hi everyone! In August 2017 I will be travelling to Sri Lanka to spend 2 weeks on a mental health volunteer placement. The programme is based in the Galle District which was one of the worst affected regions from the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami and to this day today has left lasting impact both physically and mentally on Sri Lanka people. I will spend time at the heart of community projects working with and providing care and attention for mentally disabled children in a government school. Part of my role will include supporting creative therapy amongst children who have mental health disabilities. The children will range from small groups of around 5-10 to groups of up to around 30-40 children.

To raise funds I will be taking part in a 'Boxing Day Dip' at Longsands Beach, Tynemouth. The name of the event says it all... I'll be chucking myself into the North Sea on very cold and frosty morning. If anyone would like to join me in the dip, come along to give some support or have a good laugh, please do!

Anything you can donate in sponsorship will go directly towards my placement in Sri Lanka; food, accommodation, airport pickup, around the clock support from the UK and in-country team, pre-departure training and support from the UK team, as well as the implementation and monitoring of projects, which greatly benefit the local community.

PMGY is an independent social venture that doesn’t receive funding from governments, religious bodies, political parties, development organisations or other external sources.

A little bit more info...

The mental health needs of Sri Lanka have continued to increase in recent decades and traditionally mental health services failed to respond to such developments. It is estimated that in tsunami-affected areas 40% of people suffer from common mental disorder and there is a 3% prevalence of severe mental disorder.

Sri Lanka’s suicide rates are amongst the highest globally according to the World Health Organisation and mental health needs in Sri Lanka today are as high as anywhere else in the world. In more recent times the country as a whole is moving away from the traditional cultural stigma that had always been attached to mental health in Sri Lanka. Whilst integrating mental health into the primary care of Sri Lanka’s public health system and private sector still remains challenging, more recently there has been encouraging signs that right tracks are being made to do this.

Thank you so much for reading!

xxx