contact_support
Environmental Conservation Project
Environmental Conservation Project

Galle, Sri Lanka

Environmental Conservation Project

Trip Highlights

  • Incredible opportunity to focus on Climate change and work with an enthusiastic team to conserve, protect, and sustain the natural environment
  • Learn more about mangrove reforestation, organic farming, recycling education, coral restoration, beach, and river cleanups, and building eco-friendly products that benefit the environment
  • Gain first-hand work experience and bond with people from different parts of the world
  • Learn about the culture, traditions, and festivities of Sri Lanka
  •  

Overview

Overview

Join the Environmental Conservation Project in Sri Lanka with Volunteering Solutions and get the opportunity to conduct a range of initiatives that, we believe, will have a lasting impact in addressing the key environmental issues that affect the natural ecosystems of the gorgeous island. Being a part of this program, you'll get to play an active role in impacting the health of our natural environment
including, but not limited to, mangrove reforestation, organic farming, recycling education, coral restoration, beach and river cleanups, and building eco-friendly products that benefit the environment.

We are living in a time when the Earth needs special attention, and we're probably the last generation who still has a chance to make a difference. Over the last couple of decades, the natural ecosystems have declined substantially resulting in loss of biodiversity, man-made pollution has reached unimaginable levels and climate change has become humanity’s greatest challenge.

Being a part of this conservation volunteer program, you'll get to contribute towards sustainable development and learn to be a responsible traveler.


Program Requirements

Program Requirements

Volunteers must be 17 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 and should be prepared to work outdoors and get their hands dirty. Participants in the program should have a keen interest and love for conservation work. Participants should have no criminal convictions and should provide a clean criminal background check report. A parental consent form shall be required for Under 18 participants joining the program.


Volunteer Roles & Responsibilities

Volunteer Roles & Responsibilities

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

Reforestation & Mangrove Restoration – Volunteers will play a key role in assisting with the mangrove habitat restoration process in the area by helping plant new seeds in our nursery, nurture and monitor the growth of baby mangrove plants and assist in planting them in and around the islands on the lagoon when they are ready.

Recycling Education: Volunteers will be conducting educational presentation sessions to local communities and schools, highlighting the environmental issues plaguing the region, particularly plastic pollution, focusing on the importance of recycling as a way of life to combat these challenges. These sessions will be aided by our local staff who will help with the preparation of presentation materials and language translations with the local community.

Building EcoBricks – Volunteers will spend part of their project time building EcoBricks which will be used to build the boundary walls in our organic garden and also outdoor furniture.

Organic Farming - Volunteers will spend part of their project time in our organic garden helping grow fresh fruits and vegetables in a sustainable and environmentally conscious manner.

Coral Reef Restoration - Volunteers will be building artificial coral reefs using durable and eco-friendly materials to mimic the effects of natural coral reefs.

Beach Cleaning & River Cleaning - For beach cleaning, volunteers will be working around the Galle and Unawatuna areas, protecting our coastlines, and controlling the trash deposit that is left by the tourists. As a part of the river cleaning, volunteers will be cleaning smaller tributaries of the Gin Ganga river of plastic and other waste products that threaten the immediate ecosystem.


Volunteer Work Schedule

Volunteer Work Schedule

  • Saturday: Arrival + House Tour + Initial Training session on safety & security + culture orientation  (this is done either on Saturday or Sunday depending on time of arrival).
  • Sunday: Neighbourhood familiarization tour and project-specific training
  • Monday: Working on the organic farm using ecologically-beneficial and sustainable practices  
  • Tue: Either river cleaning session riding on canoes or recycling education session to the local community  
  • Wed: Mangrove reforestation session at the lagoon
  • Thu: Building eco-friendly products – either ecobricks or artificial corals
  • Fri: Group beach clean-up session
  • Meals Timings – Breakfast - 07:30 am - 9:00am, Lunch -  12:00 pm to 1:30 pm and Dinner - 06:00 pm -7:30 pm

Please note that given above is what a typical week would look like. The schedule can vary quite a bit depending on season, priorities, conditions on the ground, etc.


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

07

14

21

28

January

04

11

18

25

February

01

08

15

22

March

01

08

15

22

29

April

05

12

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

08

15

22

29

December

06

13

20

27

Past Date

Available

Unavailable

Filling Fast


Costs

Costs

1 Week £629
2 Weeks £799
3 Weeks £944
4 Weeks £1088
5 Weeks £1233
6 Weeks £1377
7 Weeks £1522
8 Weeks £1666
Extra Week £166

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

Reviews

Reviews

Apply Now Ask a Question

Frequently asked questions

FAQ's Application and Program Details

Flights and Visa

Health and Safety

Accommodation and Living

Connect with Past Volunteers

Still have Questions?

We're always here to help.

Get in touch whatever way works best for you.