Voluntary Project Overview

Rural Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka provide not only a place to worship but also community centres for the local villagers. In these wonderful settings, volunteers help teach English at a variety of levels from pre-school, through primary and secondary school ages, up to adults.

Supporting these temple schools helps to encourage the children to use their imaginations and creativity, and to expose them to English speakers and people from different cultures.

The projects are well organised so that volunteers can make a good contribution in a relatively short amount of time. Pre-departure briefings and continuous support by the locally based manager helps with preparation and enables volunteers to maximise their contribution as well as their own enjoyment.

The Volunteer Abroad Role

Working alongside the resident monks and local teachers, MondoChallenge volunteers have been invited to make use of the temple grounds to run classes and so help promote English language proficiency and improved levels of education. Typical activities include teaching English and arts and crafts to pre-schoolers and to conduct conversation classes for older students and adults in the area.

This is a fantastic opportunity for volunteers to work with delightful and highly motivated students, and the ability to contribute something to poor communities is very satisfying. However, many feel that they gain even more themselves, just by participating in the simplicity of the village life and the strong Buddhist values which permeate the lifestyles of the families.

Other Volunteer Abroad opportunities

Previously, volunteers have found themselves involved a number of activities in the villages. Many are invited to participate in local festivals and cultural events. Extra tuition and English classes are often in demand, and some volunteers have taken part in various community development projects, including orphanages or tsunami-related development work.

Voluntary Programme Requirements/Eligibility Criteria

Prior teaching experience is not essential, but an interest in Buddhism would be an advantage as volunteers work with local people, often in the temples, giving a fascinating insight into another culture. Above all, a flexible, open mind and a sensitivity towards local cultural values are essential.

Volunteer Accommodation and Living arrangements

Sri Lanka has a variety of stunning landscapes packed into a small island, from tea plantations to beaches. Sri Lankans are famed for their welcoming attitude and you will certainly find the welcome you receive at the projects to be no exception!

The temples themselves are based in villages and small towns situated approximately 30-45 minutes outside Sri Lanka’s historic city, Kandy, right in the centre of the country.

Volunteers live with local families in the villages, and are often struck by the generosity of their hosts and the amazing variety in the food – from tropical fruits growing in the gardens, to rich spices and delicate curries.

What’s included in your Programme Fee?

• Project selection and placement - Our in-country teams work constantly to identify and select projects that are doing exemplary work in developing countries but need your skills and effort. Our staff are in dialogue with you to ensure that we choose a project that really needs you, where you will use your skills and contribute, because at MondoChallenge, we believe that a great volunteering experience is largely dependant on matching you with the right project
• Pre Departure Briefing - Before you leave, we will arrange for a pre departure briefing where we help you with small but extremely helpful details on your chosen destination. Things like: what to pack, local culture and customs, food, safety and precautions if any - simple things to make your life easier!
• Guidance for processing visa - MondoChallenge will arrange for any relevant documents and guide you through the visa process.
• Airport Pick Up - Arriving in a new city and not knowing where to go and how to go can be quite unnerving. A MondoChallenge representative will meet you at the airport and take you to your place of stay where you can put your feet up after a long flight.
• In country Orientation and Welcome Pack - When you arrive at your location, you will be given an orientation where you could meet other volunteers from MondoChallenge, learn all about your location, how to find your way around, where to get SIM cards for the phone, small bits that you will need help sorting out in the first few days.
• In Country Support - Our local co-ordinators are there to guide you through out your stay. They will make sure that you are settled at your project, are comfortable with your accommodation and provide guidance on local culture and customs to ensure that you have a memorable and rewarding experience.
• Accommodation - In most cases you stay with a local host family. It gives you a taste of the daily life of a local. You will be sharing a room with another volunteer, however if you prefer to have a single room to youself, this can be arranged but a cost supplement may apply. If you prefer totally independent accommodation, this maybe possible in certain areas at an additional cost and our Programme Managers will be able to assist you with this.
• Breakfast and Dinner - Local home cooked food, will be provided at the home stays. This gives you a chance to experience local dishes.
• Optional Contribution to the Education Grant - The Educational Grant helps projects like the one you will volunteer with, to get basic infrastructure and resources. Open air schools need a roof, some need tables or chairs and some need books for children. We identify needs and constantly work at improving the conditions at our partner projects. We also encourage you to identify needs at your project and let our local management know of any specifics that you feel may help. The grants are made through our registered charity, FutureSense Foundation (Charity No: 1132101). In the project fee above we recommend an optional contribution towards these grants. If you would like to fund raise or contribute further amounts towards this directly to the foundation we can assist you through the process.

Not Included:

• International Flights
• Visa and Travel insurance Costs
• Vaccination
• Local Transport and Travel
• Personal Expenses

Project photos

Testimonials