The Viduni School, Balapitiya, Sri Lanka

Volunteers

Two University students from the UK explain their Volunteer experience, working at the newly-rebuilt Viduni Pre-School.

"The most memorable aspect of my visit to Sri Lanka has inevitably been the generosity and kindness of the people whom I stayed with, worked with and with whom I became good friends. During my time in Balapitiya I was welcomed into the home of Anoma, the Principal of the pre-school, and her family. Our mornings in the pre-school consisted of Megan and I running activities focused around drawing, song and the use of disposable cameras. These really worked well to help boost the morale of the children and provide somewhat of a distraction activity from the general routine of the school which has been greatly affected by the after effects of the tsunami. During our time teaching it was perhaps difficult to gauge exactly how much we were able to help ( especially with the language barrier) though the smiles that we received from all of the children and the thanks from their families reassured us that just being present and showing support from another area of the world can make a huge difference.

Our visits to some of the temporary housing sites in the Kalutara district reinforced the difference that showing support can make. Playing games with the children was a great way of helping them to improve their English (something which many Sri Lankans are keen to learn), improve our Sinhala (!) and provide another distraction activity from the cramped conditions in which they are now living. The enthusiasm that Sri Lankans showed for getting to know us and our language also highlighted how much Sri Lanka is reliant upon tourism in order to recover. The kindness showed to me by the local people has yet to be matched by any other experience and I would fully encourage anyone to visit Sri Lanka to experience the many diverse things that it has to offer."