Two volunteer groups from the UK have experienced the trip of a lifetime to Sri Lanka, sharing hard work, good times and smiles with the children of Seenigama as the first guests at the Foundation of Goodness’s brand new accommodation centre.

Gillingham Youth and Community Centre brought five adults and ten young people aged 16 to 20 years, and Beaulieu School from Jersey Island sent nine students and three supporters through the world challenge program to stay at the Foundation of Goodness for a very busy two weeks.

The groups undertook community activities such as painting a turtle hatchery and a community centre, visiting an orphanage, cleaning a beach with the local ‘green team’, putting on a drama performance with village children and taking a field trip to nearby Unawatuna with young members of the Foundation’s Children’s’ Goodness Clubs.

Each afternoon for the first week, the Gillingham group delighted village children by inviting them onto the Seenigama Oval for a sports session, with over sixty people from babies to young parents joining in with the badminton, cricket, frisbee, football and other activities.

Both groups also got to experience the spicier side of Sri Lankan culture through local food cooked in-house for them, cooling off with regular swims in the freshly opened Bryan Adams Swimming Pool.

Feedback from both groups was overwhelmingly positive, with many volunteers commenting that they were sad to leave Sri Lanka and would like to return soon.

Twenty year old Lisa Danoris from Gillingham describes her stay as a truly fantastic opportunity.

‘[it was] a very moving and inspirational experience.  Nothing could ever explain in words what you take away with you.  The Foundation has done so much for the community, it is fantastic to be able to be a part of it,’ she said.

Her team member Abby Mundy echoes the sentiment.

‘It was great to meet different people and help them in achieving things. I really loved seeing the kids looking happy and enjoying themselves.  If anyone wishes to come they should as it will change their lives and the villagers,’ she said.

Kerry Bartlett, also from Gillingham, describes the visit as amazing.

‘To be involved in such a fantastic project is one of the most worthwhile things I have done.  The country is beautiful and the people so warm and friendly.  I feel I have taken so much away personally, and left a bit of myself in Sri Lanka,’ she said.

The group from Jersey had equally positive things to say about their stay.  Seventeen year old Alex comments that:

‘Volunteering at the Foundation of Goodness was absolutely fantastic and very rewarding.’

Back