Volunteer for PMGY- Sri Lanka, India and Nepal

Unfortunately my original plan to volunteer at a Bali wildlife rescue centre has been cancelled due to COVID restrictions in Indonesia. Instead the charity (PMGY) have transferred my place to a 10 week program which includes volunteering in Sri Lanka, India and Nepal. I will be participating in various programs at each country, the details are as follows:

Sri Lanka- two weeks of volunteering at a turtle conservation centre in Ambalangoda. Fishing is one of the major industries in Ambalangoda. The location of the rescue centre is very close to the local fisheries port. 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. Many of these disabled turtles are found by local fishermen who bring them to the project site for rehabilitation and care.

Two weeks of renovation and community work in Ambalangoda. This will likely include helping out at schools, government hospitals, children’s homes or Buddhist temples. These institutions often struggle to find the funding and manpower to undertake important development work.Even for government schools and hospitals, most of the allocated budget it stretched for the basic necessities. Resources such as books, medication and health supplies are often understocked, as well as being understaffed. As a result, renovation work is a very low priority and often overlooked in these establishments. This is why volunteers such as myself are so important to the community here.

India- 3 weeks of childcare. Similar to other developing countries, across India, hundreds of thousands of children find themselves with insufficient levels of care. Over 5% of all children in India are without any form of support from a parent or guardian – approximately 20 million of India’s population. Not all of these children have physically lost both of their parents. However, many of them are sadly abandoned, with poverty a leading factor of this. Across India, many parents simply do not have the income or resources to provide care for their children. Consequently, many of these children find themselves in the undeveloped childcare system with nowhere else to turn. Typically, this system lacks the funding, resources and manpower to take proper care of these children.Volunteers with children in India with PMGY work to support children centres in the Faridabad community. Not only do volunteers provide a friendly face to brighten up a child’s day, but we work hard to support and lead activities, making days at the centres fun and productive

Nepal- 2 weeks of teaching English to Buddhist monks. Many young Nepalese men spend a period of their life training as a monk. The majority of the children at the monasteries are Tibetan refugees and impoverished children from ethnic hill tribes. Therefore becoming a monk offers many children the chance of a better life.Training to become a monk starts at an early age. It is very important that monks receive a formal education as well as religious training. It is not totally uncommon for monks to leave the monastery when they get older, therefore it is important for them to learn English in order to boost their career prospects in mainstream society.

By donating even a small amount of money you can help me volunteer at these programs and make a difference to the communities in each town/village that I will be visiting. Of course the program is not free and flights, accommodation and meals will need to be funded by myself. Whilst it certainly will be an amazing opportunity to experience new cultures, I hardly see this trip as a holiday but instead a way to start my journey to making a difference in this unequal world that we live in, even if it is only on a smaller scale.