Week 3 - Personal experience

Volunteering at my different projects:

On Monday and Tuesday mornings i work at the Special Needs Centre in Maharagama. The Special Needs include blind, Downs Syndrome, physically and mentally disabled.

 I really enjoy working here as i really do feel we make a difference to the people there. The living conditions they live in is very basic and consists of a few rooms with beds placed side by side and a kitchen area.

 The men there have nothing to do all day so when we go there the main aim is to give them some sort of entertainment. We bring a ball and play catch or football which they really enjoy. They love drawing and colouring in. I have quite a collection of their drawings now! They join in with singing and dancing too as you can see in the photo below!

Sometimes its very hard being there, seeing their disabilities and knowing that they will be spending the rest of their life at the centre. There is a man there who is physically disabled and cannot walk, therefore to get around he has to drag himself along with his hands, scraping his knees along the way.

The physically disabled man

However, everytime i see him he always smiles at me and when we're playing catch or dancing with the others, he always wants to watch and will laugh along with everyone. It is such an amazing experience to be a part of, they treat each other like family and are constantly looking out for and helping each other. When they are drawing and colouring in, they always let me know when someone has come into the room to make sure i give them paper and crayons too. The way they treat each other and the strong group mentality they have is truely amazing and makes me feel so happy that i can be a part of it too.

Second Week of Volunteering

Dehiwala Boy's Orphanage:

'After spending more time with the children, the teachers have developed more mutual respect with the children, especially the older ones. I've learned that its important to give the children attention but not be too affectionate towards them, as then you can give praise and reward without them being too dependent. I can also see improvement in their english and behaviour too which feels rewarding.'

Mahargama Disabled Centre:

'In the second week when i go to the disabled centre, everyone recognises you and makes effort to come up to say hi with the biggest smile on their faces. It feels really good and as well as being there to help and entertain them, i feel like they are my friends too.'


Camilla School (Special Needs Children):

'I still find camilla a very hard place to be, I turned up at the school yesterday and a little boy ran up to me and tried to cuddle me but he couldnt because the staff had tied his hands behind his back, as soon as a staff member saw how shocked I was she ran over and untied him - I presume the staff know it is wrong, and i would love it if they could speak english so i could ask them whey they used such harsh methods on the children.'

Haripitia Boys Orphanage:

'After a week working with the boys i just enjoy it more and more... I'm starting to slowly learn all their names and they all shout mine when i arrive, the improvement in english is noticeable too which makes it very rewarding.'

First Week and First Thoughts

Volunteer's thoughts of different placements after the first week:

Papiliana's Boys Orphanage:

'I thought the first few days were quite hard as the children didn't seem to have much discipline, therefore were hard to control and keep their attention. Once the children were more used to us they were more receptive. Next week i hope to advance on what we have been teaching them and i look forward to establishing more of a relationship with the children'

Dehiwala's Boys Orphanage:

'When i first got there i found the conditions in which the boys were living in quite shocking. Teaching the children was quite challenging as they were so naughty!  However, after getting to know their names and playing with them for a few days, i felt more of a bond with the children and they were more responsive towards us. One thing i found that helped was leaving your inhibitions behind which helps the children open up' 

Maharagama's Disabled Centre:

'Having had no experience working with people with physical or mental disabilities, i felt quite nervous and scared the first time i visited the Centre. The conditions they live in are horrible and my first thoughts of the centre was that it was a big cage where the disabled were trapped and left with nothing to do. Everyday. However,  the second time i went, i lost all my nervousness and throughly enjoyed playing with them. They are all so friendly and just want to have fun, and it makes me very happy knowing im a part of their smiles and laughter'

Camilla School (Special Needs Children and Adults):

'On my first visit I could not help but be shocked at the conditions of the school and by how severely disabled the majority of the school are. I initially found Camilla School to be very depressing and very hard to spend time in. I had to take a step back and think; if i am finding this situation hard, how are the people who spend the majority of there time here feeling? At the end of the day I am here to try and help these people and bring a bit more happiness to their lives, If i can successfully do this in my stay in Sri Lanka then all the hard times are not in vain.'

Haripitia Boys Orphanage:

'Haripitia is such an amazing orphanage, the boys are always so happy to see you and so willing to learn, they are typical young lads and have a lot of energy which is very uplifting if your in a bad mood - because they have all this energy i tend to try and incorporate teaching and games.'

 

Introduction

On July 25th, I set off to Sri Lanka for a 6 weeks Volunteer Project with Sri Lanka Volunteers (SL Volunteer). Different volunteers are assigned different placements which include working at orphanages, teaching youths, helping the disabled and the elderly. There are 24 volunteers altogether, living in either groups of 4 or 6 in various different homestays. I live with 3 other people in Mahargama. My morning projects include helping at the disabled centre,helping at the elderly centre and teaching youths (16-29 year olds) and in the afternoon i work in an orphanage which includes preschool,older girls and boys.

Over the next 5 weeks, i will update at least once a week and will write about my and other volunteers experiences at the different placements.

F

For more information regarding SL volunteers please email: lucy.c.nightingale@googlemail.com,
Website: www.slvolunteers.com