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Volunteer for Women Empowerment Program
Join the Women Empowerment volunteer Program in Sri Lanka with VolSol and make a difference in the lives of underprivileged women. Help them by providing proper education as well as a career opportunity in which they can earn for their basic livelihood and have a shaped future for themselves.
Save 15% on your Sri Lanka program fee For trips starting on or before 31 December 2026. Booking fee not included.
Use code SRILANKA15This program places you in Unawatuna, near Galle on Sri Lanka's south coast, teaching basic English to small groups of rural Sri Lankan women in afternoon sessions. Day to day you prepare lessons suited to your group's level, run classes focused on spoken English and basic grammar, and work alongside local staff and an education coordinator who accompanies you to the project site. The program is open to female volunteers aged 18 and over who are comfortable adapting lessons to a new setting.
Placements run 2–20 weeks, with starts every week (saturdays) (next start 19 Sep 2026). You live at a volunteer house in Unawatuna, near Unawatuna Beach, with three meals a day included, and prices start at $1,084 (deposit included). Group sizes stay small (5-20 women), and one day a week is set aside purely for lesson planning, so you are not teaching on the fly.
- Volunteering opportunity for people enthusiastic about women’s causes in the spirit of Global sisterhood
- Work for women’s education, vocational training, inculcating confidence through discussions and group interaction
- Take special English classes and train women and local NGO staff as well
- Undertake Focussed Group Discussions with women and find out more about their lives and exchange experiences with them
- Engage deeply with the local community
- Get to experience the country which is fast becoming the ultimate travel destination
Prices, durations, start dates and the minimum age come straight from our booking system for this program. Program facts reviewed 13 Sep 2026.
Your role on this program
- Teach basic-level English to small to mid-sized groups of rural women during afternoon sessions
- Prepare each lesson according to the specific needs and level of your group
- Work with local staff on lesson planning and finding creative teaching methods
- Focus on communicative, spoken English more than reading and writing
- Use role play and similar techniques to make lessons practical
- Run basic grammar sessions alongside conversation practice
- Take part in focused group discussions to learn about the women's lives and experiences
- Dedicate one day a week to lesson planning and preparing materials for upcoming sessions
Exact duties vary with the placement's needs, the season and your experience.
Role boundaries
You are responsible for planning and delivering your own lessons, but you do not run the project independently: an education coordinator accompanies you to the site and guides you on lesson content and delivery, and staff are available to help with topics and teaching ideas. Volunteers do not provide counseling, vocational certification, or social services outside the classroom, and duties may vary with the placement's needs.
A typical day and week
- Saturday : Arrival +House Tour + Initial Training session (as long as the participants come by afternoon or else its done on Sunday)
- Sunday : Neighborhood familiarization tour
- Mon to Fri : Volunteer work
- Breakfast : 06:30 am – 8:30 am
- Lunch : between 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- Lesson Planning :1-3 pm
- Women sessions : Mon to Thursday 3-5.30 pm
- Friday : Planning for Monday
- Dinner : 06:30 pm -7:45 pm
Note: The schedule may vary depending on the local circumstances and can be changed by the coordinators due to any unavoidable circumstances.
Timings are the placement's usual pattern; the local team confirms your hours at orientation, and they can change with school terms, clinic rotas, weather and the project's needs.
Who can join and what you need
- Minimum age 18, maximum age 60
- Female volunteers only
- Clean criminal background check report, issued within 12 months of the start date
- Fit and healthy at the time of joining the program
- Open-minded, flexible attitude toward working in a new environment
- Travel and medical insurance, either your own policy or the one Volunteering Solutions arranges
The placement, its limits and your part in it
The project works with rural women's groups in the Galle area through locally run classes, coordinated by a bilingual operations team and an education coordinator who accompanies volunteers to the project site. Lesson planning and delivery sit with the volunteer, but staff guide topic choice and teaching approach, and a teaching library of manuals and materials is available to support planning.
Because sessions involve direct contact with community members, a clean criminal background check is required before joining. Volunteers work within the classroom and do not take on broader vocational, financial, or welfare decisions for the women involved. The realistic contribution is running English and basic life-skills sessions for a set group over your placement period, not a guaranteed change in employment outcomes or measurable results.
Start dates
Weekly start dates, year-round — pick any week across the next two years.
Program fees by duration
Prices include your $249 booking deposit — which is deducted from your total program fee. Your deposit stays valid for one year, during which you may enroll in multiple programs. A 5% international banking fee applies to credit-card payments in USD or AUD.
| Duration | Total price | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 weeks | $1,084 | |
| 3 weeks | $1,244 | |
| 4 weeks | $1,404 | |
| 5 weeks | $1,564 | |
| 6 weeks | $1,724 | |
| 7 weeks | $1,884 | |
| 8 weeks | $2,044 | |
| Each additional week | +$250 / week |
Indicative conversion — your booking is charged in the currency you choose at checkout.
✓ What you're paying for
- 24 hrs Assistance and support from Staff
- Comprehensive Pre- Departure Information
- Dedicated volunteer housing with WiFi (shared rooms)
- Shared airport transfer on arrival at designated time windows in the morning or afternoon
- Orientation and training on arrival
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner all days
- Guaranteed project placement
- Local transportation to projects in private AC van or tuk tuk
- Experienced bilingual operations team on the ground
- Dedicated staff support from 6 am to 8 pm every day
- 24/7 local emergency support
- Weekly yoga class on rooftop terrace
- Weekly movie nights on large screen projector
- Monthly bike tour around paddy fields and local villages
- Monthly special BBQ dinner
- Travel & Medical Insurance(Available at an extra cost)
- Certificate of Participation(On Request)
Not included
- Visa Fee
- International Airfare
- Return Airport Transfers from Galle to Colombo Airport (available at extra charges)
- Vaccinations
- Any personal expenses
- Additional Local Excursions and Trips
- Private Room Upgrade charges
- Charges for additional nights at accommodation
Accommodation & meals
Airport Transfers
Volunteers are picked up from the Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport Airport by a representative of the local coordinating team on the program start date during scheduled airport pickup hours. Participants are also dropped off to the airport upon completion of the program during the scheduled airport drop hours (At extra charges).Charges for the return airport drop can be paid by the participants when they are in Sri Lanka.
Note : Arrival transfer (shared) within pre-defined time windows on Saturdays included in the program price (non-transferable).There will be 2 shared airport transfers every Saturday (Morning and afternoon/evening) from airport to Galle. A private transfer is also available for USD 100 and can be arranged on Saturday or for participants arriving on any date other than the start date.
Orientation
A detailed program Orientation will be provided before you start your volunteering program.All volunteers on arrival get a welcome presentation including health and safety training, culture presentation, project specific presentation and area orientation tour. Our staff will also assist you with the lessons and planning the curriculum, as and when required. You will also have access to our in-house teaching library consisting of manuals, books, and various teaching materials to help with lesson planning and providing general guidance.
Accommodation
Volunteers joining the programs in Galle, Sri Lanka, will get to stay in the quaint Unawatuna neighborhood, overlooking the famous Unawatuna Beach and the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. Our participants stay in two volunteer houses which are located near to each other.
The Beachside house is located right across the road from Unawatuna Beach and about 100 meters from the other volunteer house. It has 12 spacious bedrooms of varying sizes with attached en suite bathrooms each with air-conditioning facilities (most rooms also have attached outdoor balconies). There is also a separate dining area, small garden, lounge, terrace and a large office with permanent staff onsite. The property is safeguarded by multiple CCTV cameras and an onsite night security team.
The other larger volunteer house has 13 bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms.Most of these rooms have ocean views! There’s a private 40-foot outdoor swimming pool surrounded by tropical greenery. The house also has 3 kitchens as well as 3 living/common rooms (one each per floor), a prominent dining area, and a private outdoor garden with seating/lounging areas.
The office is located on the ground floor of the house near the main entrance – this is where the local team operate from every day. The house is located in a peaceful, nature-filled neighborhood adjacent to a small Buddhist temple (nestled away from the main tourist areas). To ensure the safety and security of the participants, there are CCTV cameras installed, and an in-house security guard for night-time surveillance. Hot water and high-speed Wi-Fi are there and you can opt for air-conditioning and laundry facilities at an additional charge.
Private (single and double) room upgrades are available at additional charges. During busy months participants are also provided accommodation in nearby guesthouses in case of low capacity in the volunteer houses or non availability of private rooms. Private rooms are provided in guesthouses within walking distance to the volunteer house. Volunteers stay in the private guesthouses and walk over to the volunteer house and have meals with the other volunteers.
All participants aged 40 years and older will be provided with a private room only and will not be provided accommodation in shared dorm rooms . Additional charges for private room upgrade shall be applicable.
Meals
We provide 3 freshly cooked meals per day all week long (Monday to Sunday): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Fresh ingredients are purchased from local markets to prepare these meals. The volunteer homes have cooks from the local community who come daily to cook fresh, homely and tasty local meals for the volunteers. We can cater to a range of special diets including vegan, gluten free, nut free and lactose-intolerant diets. If there are any other allergy or food requirements mentioned to us beforehand, we always do our best to accommodate those needs. Those volunteers staying in private guesthouse rooms near the volunteer house, usually have breakfast at the guest house and walk down to the volunteer house for their lunch and dinner.
Local Transportation
Local transportation to and from the project is included every day.
During Free Time
There is plenty to do during the free time and weekends for the volunteers.The following activities are provided free of charge and included in your program fee:
-
Evening Rooftop Yoga Session (weekly)
-
Movie nights on large screen projector at the house (weekly)
-
Bike tour across paddy fields and local villages (monthly)
-
BBQ for volunteers and staff in the garden (monthly)
-
Night Fishing for anyone into fishing (on demand)
The following are popular weekend (or even daily) activities which our volunteers love to do around the area (at an additional charge):
-
Surfing lessons
-
Elephant safari
-
Whale watching(during season)
-
Rainforest hiking
-
Beach hopping
-
Local cooking class
-
Galle Walking Tour
-
Local spice market visit
-
Galle Fort visit
We also encourage you to join our specially curated 7D/6N Sri Lanka Culture & Adventure Tour which packs the best of the island’s beauty and diversity within a week.The tour can be added to your program itinerary before or after the volunteer program.
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Life on the program
Getting there and who looks after you in Sri Lanka
Airport pickup
You are collected from Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) on the Saturday start date, as part of a shared transfer running in morning and afternoon/evening windows. Arriving outside those windows or on another date means arranging a private transfer at an extra charge.
First day
On arrival you get a house tour and, if you arrive by afternoon, an initial training session; if you arrive later, this session happens on Sunday instead.
Orientation and neighborhood tour
Sunday is set aside for a neighborhood familiarization tour along with a welcome presentation covering health and safety, culture, and the project itself.
First project day and ongoing support
Volunteer work begins Monday, with lesson planning from 1pm to 3pm and English sessions from 3pm to 5:30pm. Staff are on hand daily from 6am to 8pm, with a 24-hour local emergency contact throughout your placement.
From volunteers in Sri Lanka
Frequently asked questions
What do I actually do on this program?
You teach basic-level English to small groups of rural women in afternoon sessions, preparing your own lessons with guidance from local staff and an education coordinator who joins you at the project site.
Who is this program for?
It is open to female volunteers aged 18 and over (up to 60) who are fit, healthy, and comfortable adapting to a new teaching environment; no specific prior teaching experience is listed as a requirement.
What does a typical day and week look like?
Monday to Friday, lesson planning runs from 1pm to 3pm and English sessions from 3pm to 5:30pm Monday through Thursday, with Friday used to plan the following week's classes.
How long can I volunteer and when do programs start?
Placements run 2–20 weeks, with new starts every week (saturdays); the next start date is 19 Sep 2026.
What does the program cost and what is included?
Prices start at $1,084 with the $249 deposit included, covering accommodation, three daily meals, a shared airport transfer on scheduled Saturday windows, local project transport, orientation, and staff support; items such as visa fees, international flights, and the return airport transfer are not included.
Where do I stay and what are the meals like?
You stay in a volunteer house in Unawatuna, near Unawatuna Beach, in shared rooms with attached bathrooms (private room upgrades available at extra cost), with breakfast, lunch, and dinner provided daily, including vegetarian options.
How does airport pickup work if I arrive at a different time?
The shared transfer from Colombo airport runs only on Saturdays in morning and afternoon/evening windows; arriving at another time means booking a private transfer for an extra USD 100.
What safety and support is in place during the placement?
A permanent bilingual operations team is based inside the volunteer house, with staff support from 6am to 8pm daily and a 24-hour local emergency contact.
Do I need a background check, and why?
Yes, a clean criminal background check report is required before joining, since the role involves regular contact with women in the local community.
What about visa and insurance requirements?
Travel and medical insurance is compulsory, either your own policy or one arranged through Volunteering Solutions; specific visa and vaccination guidance is sent to you before departure.
Can I change my dates or program after booking?
Yes, you can change your program, dates, or destination free of charge up to 45 days before your start date.
Is this program only for women?
Yes, only female volunteers are accepted on this particular program.
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