Volunteering in Sri Lanka

Key Information
Eligibility
About

Key Information

Information

Application Deadline: 03/02/25 at 9:00 am

Opportunity type: Extra-curricular opportunities, Volunteering

Ref: 10009346

Dates

Departure Date: 30/06/25

Return Date: 28/07/25

Costs

£1688 (incl. reg & programme fee, accommodation) and flights: Students will also be required to pay for: vaccinations, DBS check, public transport in country and return to the airport for departure and visa (if applicable)

Funding

DMU Global Bursary: £400

Additional Funding: Turing Scheme funding £476. Plus an additional top up of £112 and a £905 flight bursary for Widening Participation students, as defined by the Turing Scheme

Booking

Accommodation: Booked and provided by IVHQ

Travel: Flights booked independently by students (£600-£700 approx.)

Contact

General Enquiries: Global Mobility Office - dmuglobal@dmu.ac.uk

How to pay

Payment details: Students will be required to pay the £265 registration and £723 programme fee directly to IVHQ after being offered a place on the opportunity. The DMU Global bursary & Turing funding will be paid directly to students.

Carbon Levy

Student contribution: To offset the carbon emissions from the flight for this trip there is a £5 Carbon Levy for this trip which has been added to the total cost. Information about how this Levy will be used can be found here.

Trip Profile

Independence

Independence

Group travel

Independent travel

Trip price

Trip price

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Trip duration

Trip duration

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Eligibility

All DMU students are eligible to participate in this opportunity. To qualify for the additional funding for this opportunity students need to meet at least one of these ‘Widening Participation‘ criteria. The maximum number of places on this opportunity is 15.

 

Students are recommended to check the eligibility criteria before applying.

 

Students are recommended to apply for no more than 2 overseas opportunities. Further application submissions will not be considered.

About

DMU Global in cooperation with our partner International Volunteer HQ, are offering DMU students the chance to spend 4 weeks volunteering in Kandy, Sri Lanka in summer 2025. Sri Lanka is an island nation set off the south-east coast of India. Famous for its tea plantations, cinnamon exports and cricket rivalries, it also boasts a vast array of beaches, Buddhas and an abundance of wildlife. Most of IVHQ’s Sri Lanka volunteer projects are based in the small, sacred city of Kandy a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Students will be able to choose from the below volunteering projects:

Teaching Volunteer Programme in Sri Lanka

Women’s Education Programme in Sri Lanka

Special Needs Care Volunteer Programme in Sri Lanka

All of the volunteer program options will start with and Introduction Week Orientation, this is a fantastic way to start your experience in Sri Lanka allowing you to gain a deeper understanding of Sri Lankan culture. The orientation week will include; a visit to a local spice and herbal garden, a Sri Lankan cooking lesson, visit to the famous Temple of the Tooth, lantern making, Kandy city tour, language and culture lesson and much more. The orientation week will help you to settle any culture shock when first arriving in Sri Lanka.

When you volunteer on any of these projects in Sri Lanka you’ll be adding value to the local community, while also developing personally and professionally by:

  • Contributing positively to the local environment and to the UN’S SDG #4 Quality Education and UN’s SDG #10 Reduced Inequalities
  • Immersing yourself in Sri Lankan culture and discovering Sri Lanka’s rich history
  • Developing your communication skills whilst gaining valuable international volunteering experience
  • Helping members of the local community to to eliminate gender and wealth disparities, and achieve universal access to a quality higher education.

To learn more abour volunteering with IVHQ, watch the video below…

Practical Information

You will be accommodated in Kandy, is a major city located in the Central Province of Sri Lanka in a volunteer house. Bedrooms have bunk beds and you can expect to share a room with four to nine other volunteers (single gender). Living is comfortable and the accommodation has electricity, fans, running water. Bathrooms in the volunteer houses are all western style with a toilet, basin and a warm shower.

The package also includes 3 meals a day during the week and brunch and dinner on the weekend, airport pick-up, program orientation and 24/7 in-country support.


Cultural Activities

During the weekends, volunteers are free to relax or take the opportunity to explore other parts of Kandy and Sri Lanka. Kandy itself is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has an exciting selection of things
to see and do. You can visit a number of beautiful and ornate temples including the Temple of the Tooth – an important shrine housing a canine tooth said to belong to the Buddha; wander in the grand and impressive Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya; tour a tea plantation and factory; sample the tasty and widely-regarded local cuisine; or take a walk up to the biggest Buddha statue in Sri Lanka and be rewarded with fantastic panoramic views of the city. Long weekends can be taken to travel further afield to destinations, such as Colombo, Galle or even Southern India.


Costs & Funding

  • Registration Fee of approximately £265 ($333) that students will need to pay to confirm their place.
  • Program Fee (including orientation week) of approximately £723 ($906).
  • Students will be required to pay for and book flights to Sri Lanka (approx. £600-£700).

Students will receive the following financial support for this opportunity:

Apply now