Volunteering in Sri Lanka
Key Information
Information
Application Deadline: 02/02/26 at 9:00 am
Opportunity type: Extra-curricular opportunities, Volunteering
Ref: 10010184
Dates
Departure Date: 27/06/26
Return Date: 25/07/26
Costs
£1675 (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: All students are eligible to receive £493 from the Turing Scheme. Students from a 'Widening Participation' background will receive an extra £116 + £905
Booking
Accommodation: Booked and provided by IVHQ
Travel: Flights booked independently by students (£800-£900 approx.)
Contact
General Enquiries: Global Mobility Office - dmuglobal@dmu.ac.uk
How to pay
Payment details: Students will be required to pay the £250 registration and £675 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.
Your application
Important: The use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and others to write or generate content for your application is not permitted. DMU Global reserves the right to reject applications that have been created using these tools. To learn more, visit our application process page.
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 2026. Sri Lanka is an island nation set off the south-east coast of India. Famous for its tea plantations, cinnamon exports and cricket rivalries, a vast array of beaches 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 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.
As part of your pre-departure a call will be set-up between volunteers and the team in Sri Lanka to discuss project placement and any ideas for any specific activities or initiatives you may have.
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:
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 ($333) £250
- Program Fee (including orientation week) of approximately ($906) £675
- Students will be required to pay for and book flights to Sri Lanka (approx. £700-£750).
*USD-GBP conversion as of 05.01.2026
Students will receive the following financial support for this opportunity:
| All Students | Students who meet the criteria for ‘widening participation student |
| £893 (£400 DMU Global bursary + £493 Turing Scheme funding) | £1914 (£400+£493) +£116 Turing Scheme Funding, and a flight cost bursary of £905). |
UN Sustainable Development Goals
De Montfort University is the only higher education institution in the UK to be a global hub for Sustainable Development Goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities. The SDGs were introduced by the United Nations in 2010 with the aim of improving the lives of millions of people by 2030.
Through our activities at DMU, we aim to contribute to all of the UN SDGs in a variety of ways. This DMU Global volunteering opportunity specifically gives students the chance to engage with the following Sustainable Development Goals: