Above: Volunteers quickly bond with children. Hettie Briscoe at Yogaswami Hindu Girls' Home, Sittandy. Below: Anathi.org Project volunteers Hettie (left) and Dinah Barton (right) travel by motor bike to visit chidren's homes all over Batticaloa district.

Volunteers apply their own skills and expertise: Dinah Barton conducts weekly homeopathic clinics at homes like Palugamam Girls' Home.

Volunteers Needed

Anathi Project (now called Sri Lanka Children's Trust) volunteers work closely with children's institutions to identify children's needs in the areas of health, nutrition, sanitation and education. The volunteers would then design small programs or mini-projects directed towards these needs, typically using funds that the volunteers themselves have raised abroad and brought to Sri Lanka, or by appealing to external donors for assistance.

Volunteers' Activities and Responsibilities

Project features:

• Minimum one month period of service
• Accommodation and meals provided by or near the project
• Must be able to adjust to the local diet and customs
• Must be able to work under minimal supervision

Service activities may include:

• Teaching English as a foreign language;
• Teaching basic computer literacy;
• Teaching photography, music, visual arts, swimming, sports, etc.
• Serving as friend and mentor to children and staff;
• Assisting projects to raise funds locally and internationally

What to bring:

• Light cotton clothing: trousers & half-shirt for men; dress & blouse for women
• Laptop computer
• Digital camera
• Prescription medicines
• Sunscreen, head cover, and UV sunglasses

Language

The language spoken in coastal areas of eastern Sri Lanka is Tamil, and in the Hill Country both Tamil & Sinhala are spoken. Naturally, Tamil speakers are at an advantage when interacting with villagers. However, English is also widely understood, although spoken English may be poor. In some homes, especially Christian homes and homes near urban centers, English is spoken by administrators and by some of the older chldren. In rural areas, however, little or no English is spoken. Volunteers may request to be placed in a home where English is spoken, or alternatively they may engage a local graduate to accompany them as interpreter and assistant.

Job Descriptions

Long-term

Project Manager
(minimum 3 months)

Responsibilities include:

• Competency in IT systems and general office management skills;
• Ensure that the files of homes, donors, volunteer information, NGOs, etc are current and accurate;
• Select and optimize digital images for e-mailing and web publishing.
• The project manager should be able to keep accounts and prepare monthly reports.

Fund Raiser
Minimum 3 months

• Liaise with other NGO's, sourcing funds and access to other NGO resources.
• See that projects' needs are met, keeping a written record with photo documentation provided by field volunteers.
• Document and maintain a complete record of all donations and work carried out, including keeping, digitalizing all receipts and outgoings to be published as part of our transparency policy.
• Keep donors updated with project progress reports.
• Ensure that all donors are acknowledged on the web site.

Accountant
Minimum 3 months

• Maintain daily cash ledger, check ledger, petty cash box; issue invoices, receipts & vouchers
• Set up computer accounting package (QuickBooks, etc.) and train others how to use it
• Document and maintain a complete record of all donations and work carried out, including keeping, digitalizing all receipts and outgoings to be published as part of our transparency policy.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly & annual balance sheets, etc. and liaise with our auditors.

Short-term

Health and Nutrition Worker

• Volunteers educate, build health awareness, and establish healthier habits in children's homes.
• Volunteers educate children and staff alike in basic health, including exercise, hygiene and dietary advice.
• Conduct periodic health exams in one's field of expertise (dental care, physical therapy, etc.)

This may include:

• Education programs.
• Teaching yoga and breathing techniques.
• Introducing cleaning and rubbish disposal routines.
• Demonstrating cooking methods.

Sports Coach

• Position requires self-starting, patient individuals with enthusiasm for children and sports activities.
• Appropriate sports include cricket, badminton, table tennis, volleyball, chess, etc. We will also consider other activities proposed by applicants.
• Nor formal coaching experience is necessary-but it is helpful.
• Sri Lanka Children's Trust will help organize sports clinics and tournaments, but this is primarily the responsibility of the sports coaches themselves.
• Coaches may operate in two-man teams to facilitate tournaments and competitions
• Children's homes are poor, so in many cases coaches will have to help to source funds for basic sports equipment.

English teachers

• Visit rural schools and children's homes and teach English formally and/or informally.
• Volunteers are encouraged to give formal lessons based on the school curriculum and to use play to teach informally.
• The education system is based on the old English education system, each child moves up a grade each year, regardless of their understanding. In order that the children can keep up it is necessary for each child to have supplemental tuition classes. This is very difficult for the homes to afford.

Computer Instructors

• Teach children and staff basic computer literacy.
• Programming skills are not necessary. But one should know how to install computer hardware and software, and how to troubleshoot common problems.
• Whenever possible, instructors may be asked to help configure computers to gain dialup Internet access. This will involve teaching the basics of e-mail and Internet.
• Our aim is to bring computer literacy to every children's home and rural school, and to leverage this literacy to improve children's education and help homes to secure sources of funding from abroad, including churches, schools, NGOs and individuals.

According to the area and the techniques that the volunteer wishes to employ this could involve visiting the homes and teaching, leaving educational material and then following up an reinforcing the initial teachings, to staying in one home and establishing a routine which the children can continue to follow when the volunteer has left.

Volunteers are encouraged to investigate and bring teaching materials with them, mainly visual aids and funding which will allow them to cover the costs of additional materials.

All education must be conducted with the utmost sensitivity to the community and cultures that we are serving. We are not here to promote Western values, but simply to give back to the East a little of what we in the West have taken.

For more information

For details, contact: