Sri Lanka highlights and volunteering holiday

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION
We are committed to promoting holidays that reduce the operational carbon emissions of the trip. Here is what we are doing to make this possible:
On this tour we have not used any internal flights.
A lot of accommodations we use the trip use renewable energy such as solar panels for electricity.  
We also encourage clients to reduce single use plastic while on tour (either through partnering with accommodations who are doing this and/or by encouraging travellers to bring reusable bottles with them.
- When travelling through areas our guides also help guests to be in the environment in a responsible way (i.e. keeping minimum distances from animals, not dropping waste in nature, etc.)
- The restaurants/lodges we use local and seasonally grown food that is also always good to mention this as it cuts down food travel miles which some restaurants feel they have to have in order to cater for 'western' guests.
- We also keep transport emissions down on the trip through walking to projects as much as possible. Where possible we always encourage volunteers to use shared public transport like buses- which not only supports the local economy but sharing rides and transport keeps emissions down too.
ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE
Our local partners are leaders in sustainable tourism. All activities and itineraries are designed in collaboration with the villagers and the environment in mind-and  based around the principles of sustainable-based tourism.

All of our participants receive pre-departure guides. This covers topics on how to be culturally sensitive, how to best look after the environment when in the country and how to stay safe as well as up to date information on the political situation. They are also briefed on how to dispose of waste properly and where possible, to avoid using plastic water bottles as these are not easy to dispose of environmentally.
No animals are involved in any part of our trips and volunteers are encouraged to respect street animals as well.

We send out comprehensive pre-departure briefing, which includes a section on protecting the local environment. In particular we advise participants to take care with water, which is an issue in many of our destinations. We recommend they avoid unnecessary washing, using hand wash gel where they can. We also instruct them on how to dispose of waste properly, not to litter and, where possible, to avoid using plastic water bottles which are not easy to dispose of environmentally.
Hotels used all segregate waste as well and are doing their best to reduce their impact on nature.

Pre-departure preparation
All of our participants receive pre-departure guides. This covers topics on how to be culturally sensitive, how to best look after the environment when in the country and how to stay safe as well as up to date information on the political situation. They are also briefed on how to dispose of waste properly and where possible, to avoid using plastic water bottles as these are not easy to dispose of environmentally.

Meaningful Volunteering:
Our Volunteer programs are lasting and meaningful and have a long term impact on the communities we work with. These children have little access to quality education.This is where the volunteers come in. In order to attend formal school in Sri Lankan students must be at a certain academic level and you will be helping the children we work with to reach this standard. For the children, a good understanding of English opens up many more opportunities in the future particularly in Tourism.

Child Protection:
We have a strong child protection policy and require police checks and DBS from all our participants. Staff who take photos are required to ensure they are up to a standard approved by our local partners or schools. We have strict expectations of volunteers as far as how they interact with the children. We also give no information to the volunteers about the children’s backgrounds.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY
All our programs are designed in collaboration with the community and based around the principles of community-based tourism. We are committed to providing local people with support while still continuing their traditional way of life. All our volunteers are housed in local owner owned hotels that support the local community in Sri Lanka. Our local Lanka tour partners are leaders in sustainable tourism. All activities and itineraries are designed in collaboration with the villagers themselves, based around the principles of community-based tourism. We are committed to providing local people with a complimentary source of income while still continuing their traditional way of life. We make sure that whoever we are tied up with are operating with our values in mind and are for the improvement of life on ground.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY
All staff are Sri Lankan and local to the area who earn above the minimum wages of the country. The local team in Sri Lanka hire women too giving them an opportunity to earn a living and improve their life.

We emphasise the importance of showing respect for local people and their customs in our briefing material. Participants will work alongside permanent staff, forming close bonds and getting an insight into real life in Sri Lanka. Our policy is to send people to the developing world in small groups or individually. This minimises the environmental and social impact that the participants have on the destination and helps them to integrate into the local community.

This tour is LGBTQ friendly.

We also want to ensure that skill projects are following the guidelines of responsible travel. This includes :
Having Qualified teaching applicants taking classes only. Non qualified applicants can assist our staff only.
We do not work with vulnerable individuals at all or at places like shelters or care homes.
Having emphasis or encouraging long term applicants of 4 weeks minimum
Making DBS checks compulsory
Having a child protection code that is on our website that you read before joining