Rafika Sallamy from Ireland arrived in Sri Lanka three months ago to give of her time and resources to others less fortunate than her. Little did she think that the people she had come to help had so much to give her; for they were rich – rich in love and kindness.
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| Louise |
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| Nishil |
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| Monalie |
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| An organiser Ajanthan |
“Sri Lankan people and the culture have had an immense influence on me,” reflects Rafika, one of ten young people from UK who were in Sri Lanka as part of the Youth Xchange programme.
The second edition of the Youth Xchange in Sri Lanka, saw 20 young people (10 from the UK and 10 from Sri Lanka) volunteering in Ampara District, living and working in Ampara, Akkaraipattu and Kalmunai.
Peace and Community Action, a local organization and Voluntary Service Overseas, Sri Lanka helped facilitate their stay. “This programmes creates ‘global citizens’ and people who are aware of current issues,” said Ruvanthi Sivapragasam, Acting Country Director, VSO Sri Lanka.
In today’s post-war era in Sri Lanka, where reconciliation and unity are vital for the future, the theme of their programme was reconciliation.
The group had bonded well and forged firm friendships during their three month stay in Ampara. Rafika, who had volunteered at an organization that promotes sustainable development, was touched by the strong family ties and the forgiving love she witnessed among the people she worked with.
Monalie Tania from Colombo, also remembers the love and hospitality showered on them by the people in Ampara. “We became so attached to them that we were in tears when it was time to say goodbye,” recalls Monalie, who has just completed her schooling.
In doing their part for the betterment of society, the young volunteers made sure that their effort is not something that spans only the three months that they were in Ampara. “We want the project we started to be continued,” said Louise D’Arcy, from the UK who volunteered at the Mahashakthi Foundation, adding that the medical camp they had initiated will be continued on a regular basis, so that the people will not have to walk to the nearest hospital, which is about one hour away.
Louise was also involved in a nearby school where they conducted activities and games, and taught nursery rhymes and songs to the teachers who will in turn teach the children.
Loiuse leaves with the hope of coming back and working in Sri Lanka and other developing countries.
Ensuring that the administrative wheels run smoothly were the Peace and Community Action Ampara and the Programme Supervisors for the team – Anthony Ajanthan and his UK counterpart Caoinhe (pronounced Keeva).
“We chose Ampara as members of all three ethnicities (Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim) live there and also as it was affected by the war,” explained Thayaparan Tharma, National Coordinator and Country Management Team Member, Peace and Community Action. Foster homes chosen too were from all three ethnicities.
Explaining how the volunteers were selected in Sri Lanka, he said that commitment and the desire to bring about change in society were looked for while they also endeavoured to recruit volunteers from all three ethnicities.
“They were able to discover and develop their skills as well as gain a clear idea regarding their future careers,” shared Ajanthan adding that the volunteers were asked to state their interests, which were taken in- to account in assigning them to volunteer at various organizations.
Nishil Karia, who has a degree in Media Studies and hopes to work in social media and NGOs, was able to put his knowledge to good use, by conducting social media workshops for the staff of SWOAD (Social Welfare Organization Ampara District).
Isham Marikar from Puttalam, who was keen on doing social service and wanted a break from his work as a System Administrator in a travel company, volunteered at Ampara Special Needs Network, which focuses on introducing Special Needs Units in schools.
Be it teaching nursery rhymes, conducting medical camps and media workshops or working towards sustainable development, this group of young volunteers spent three rewarding and fun-filled months serving society.
As they left for Ireland last week, they took with them fond memories and great energy and enthusiasm for the next three months – the second phase of their volunteering - in Derry, Northern Ireland.
Global Xchange
Global Xchange is a partnership programme managed and delivered by Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), the British Council and International Citizens Service in the UK and a number of local partners across the globe. Skilled professionals with many years of experience in their respective fields are sent to developing countries as volunteers.
Youth Xchange enables young people from different countries to work together for six months. Each exchange involves a team of 20 young people between the ages of 18-25 years, with equal numbers from the UK and an overseas partner country. The participants are recruited, and the teams are formed, in order to reflect diversity on the grounds of geography, ethnicity, ability, education and gender.
Volunteers live with host homes and volunteer in local organisations in host families for three months in the UK and three months in the overseas country. They live and work in cross-cultural counterpart pairs, one from the UK, and one from the exchange country.
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