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Volunteer for Women Empowerment Program
Volunteer for Women Empowerment Program

Galle, Sri Lanka

Volunteer for Women Empowerment Program

Trip Highlights

  • Volunteering opportunity for people enthusiastic about women’s causes in the spirit of Global sisterhood 
  • Work for women’s education, vocational training, inculcating confidence through discussions and group interaction
  • Take special English classes and train women and local NGO staff as well 
  • Undertake Focussed Group Discussions with women and find out more about their lives and exchange experiences with them
  • Engage deeply with the local community 
  • Get to experience the country which is fast becoming the ultimate travel destination

Overview

Overview

As the name suggests, the Women Empowerment Project essentially focuses on the upliftment of women in the social strata, by providing them proper education as well as helping them to find a career in which they can earn for their basic livelihood and have a shaped future for themselves.

If we dig deeper into this, Sri Lanka has faced a long civil war from 1983 to 2009, and in these 26 years, there have been immense societal changes that further led to the deterioration of the female population in terms of literacy, growth, career prospects and quality of health. 

Like every other developing country in Asia, Sri Lankan society also considers women to be 'dependent' on their male counterparts. Women living in the rural parts of the country have even worse situation than those living in big cities. There are very few employment opportunities for them, and the root cause of this problem is lack of proper education.


Program Requirements

Program Requirements

Volunteers must be 18 years or older at the time of joining the project. You need to have an open mind and a flexible attitude for working in a new and different environment. The volunteer should bring energy and enthusiasm to make a difference. Participants must be fit and healthy at the time of joining the program. Participants should have no criminal convictions and should provide a clean criminal background check report.


Volunteer Roles & Responsibilities

Volunteer Roles & Responsibilities

As a volunteer for the Women Empowerment Project, you'll have to do the following (apart from other minor works that may crop up as & when required) :

  • Teaching English at a basic level to women in small to mid-sized groups in the afternoons.
  • Prepare for each session focusing on the specific needs of the group.
  • Help the staff for the lesson planning and also find out creative ways to teach.
  • Focus more on communicative English (than reading & writing) so that their grammar gets polished.
  • Employ various techniques, such as roleplay, in order to maximize the practical impact of this initiative.

Volunteer Work Schedule

Volunteer Work Schedule

  • Saturday : Arrival +House Tour + Initial Training session  (as long as the participants come by afternoon or else its done on Sunday).
  • Sunday : Neighbourhood familiarization tour 
  • Mon to Fri : Volunteer work
  • Breakfast - 06:30 am - 8:30am 
  • Lunch -  between 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
  • Lesson Planning 1-3 pm
  • Women sessions Mon to Thursday 3-5.30pm
  • Friday - Planning for Monday
  • Dinner - 06:30 pm -7:45 pm

Note:  The schedule may vary depending on the particular project and local circumstances.


Living

Living

At Volunteering Solutions we ensure that all our international volunteers are provided the utmost comfort so that they can have a home away from home experience while working with us. We ensure that your stay, meals and other personal requirements are looked after well. 

Airport Transfers 
Volunteers are picked up from the Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport Airport by a representative of the local coordinating team on the program start date during scheduled airport pickup hrs. Participants are also dropped off to the airport upon completion of the program during the scheduled airport drop hrs. 

Note : Airport Transfers are provided at extra charges of USD $37 each way for a shared transfer during scheduled pickup hours on Saturday.There will be 2 shared airport transfers every Saturday (Morning and afternoon/evening) from airport to Galle and vice versa for return departures.​ A private transfer will cost USD 100.

Accommodation

Volunteers joining the programs in Galle, Sri Lanka, will get to stay in the quaint Unawatuna neighborhood, overlooking the famous Unawatuna Beach and the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. Our participants stay in two volunteer houses which are located near to each other. 

The Beachside house is located right across the road from Unawatuna Beach and about 100 metres from the other volunteer house. It has 12 spacious bedrooms of varying sizes with attached en suite bathrooms each with air-conditioning facilities (most rooms also have attached outdoor balconies). There is also a separate dining area, small garden, lounge, terrace and a large office with permanent staff onsite. The property is safeguarded by multiple CCTV cameras and an onsite night security team.

The other larger volunteer house has 13 bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms.Most of these rooms have ocean views! There's a private 40-foot outdoor swimming pool surrounded by tropical greenery. The house also has 3 kitchens as well as 3 living/common rooms (one each per floor), a prominent dining area, and a private outdoor garden with seating/lounging areas.

The office is located on the ground floor of the house near the main entrance – this is where the local team operate from every day. The house is located in a peaceful, nature-filled neighborhood adjacent to a small Buddhist temple (nestled away from the main tourist areas). To ensure the safety and security of the participants, there are CCTV cameras installed, and an in-house security guard for night-time surveillance. Hot water and high-speed Wi-Fi are there and you can opt for air-conditioning and laundry facilities at an additional charge.

Private (single and double) room upgrades are available at additional charges. During busy months participants are also also provided accommodation in nearby guesthouses in case of low capacity in the volunteer houses or non availability of private rooms.

Orientation

A detailed program Orientation will be provided before you start your volunteering program.All volunteers on arrival get a welcome presentation including health and safety training, culture presentation, project specific presentation and area orientation tour. Our staff will also assist you with the lessons and planning the curriculum, as and when required. You will also have access to our in-house teaching library consisting of manuals, books, and various teaching materials to help with lesson planning and providing general guidance.

Meals

We provide 3 freshly cooked meals per day all week long (Monday to Sunday): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Fresh ingredients are purchased from local markets to prepare these meals. We have two lady chefs (a head chef and an assistant) from our community who come daily to cook fresh, homely and tasty local meals for the volunteers. We can cater to a range of special diets including vegan, gluten free, nut free and lactose-intolerant diets. If there are any other allergy or food requirements mentioned to us beforehand, we always do our best to accommodate those needs.

During Free Time

There is plenty to do during the freetime and weekends for the volunteers.The following activities are provided free of charge and included in your program fee:

  • Evening Rooftop Yoga Session (weekly)
  • Movie nights on large screen projector at the house (weekly)
  • Bike tour across paddy fields and local villages (monthly)
  • BBQ for volunteers and staff in the garden (monthly)
  • Night Fishing for anyone into fishing (on demand)


The following are popular weekend (or even daily) activities which our volunteers love to do around the area (at an additional charge):

  • Surfing lessons
  • Elephant safari
  • Whale watching (during season)
  • Rainforest hiking
  • Beach hopping
  • Local cooking class
  • Galle Walking Tour
  • Local spice market visit
  • Galle Fort visit

Dates

Dates

2024

2025

January

06

13

20

27

February

03

10

17

24

March

02

09

16

23

30

April

06

13

20

27

May

04

11

18

25

June

01

08

15

22

29

July

06

13

20

27

August

03

10

17

24

31

September

07

14

21

28

October

05

12

19

26

November

02

09

16

23

30

December
January

18

25

February

01

08

15

22

March

01

08

15

22

29

April

19

26

May

03

10

17

24

31

June

07

14

21

28

July

05

12

19

26

August

02

09

16

23

30

September

06

13

20

27

October

04

11

18

25

November

01

December

Past Date

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Unavailable

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Costs

Costs

1 Week £515
2 Weeks £663
3 Weeks £782
4 Weeks £910
5 Weeks £1033
6 Weeks £1156
7 Weeks £1284
8 Weeks £1403
Extra Week £170

Please Note: -An application fee of £179 is charged over and above the program fee as an application payment.

What are you Paying for?

  • 24 hrs Assistance and support from Staff
  • Comprehensive Pre- Departure Information
  • ​Dedicated volunteer housing with WiFi (shared rooms)
  • Orientation and training on arrival
  • Breakfast, lunch and dinner all days
  • Guaranteed project placement
  • Local transportation to projects in private AC van or tuk tuk
  • Experienced bilingual operations team on the ground
  • Dedicated staff support from 6 am to 8 pm every day
  • 24/7 local emergency support
  • Weekly yoga class on rooftop terrace
  • Weekly movie nights on large screen projector
  • Monthly bike tour around paddy fields and local villages
  • Monthly special BBQ dinner
  • Travel & Medical Insurance (Available at an extra cost)
  • Certificate Of Completion (Upon Request)

What's NOT included?

  • Visa Fee
  • International Airfare
  • Scheduled Airport Transfers from Colombo Airport (available at extra charges)
  • Vaccinations
  • Any personal expenses
  • Additional Local Excursions and Trips

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