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Help create a sustainable retreat that supports the local community in Puttalam, Sri Lanka

  • Favourited 3527 times
  • Last activity: 26 Mar 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    Honoured to be selected Host of the Month by WorkAway

    Click on the "Host of the Month" badge for that blog post by WorkAway

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    We took a break from accepting WA'ers - but then came Covid - currently we hope to restart in 2024.

    Please read carefully - answer the questions we have asked and do ask your own questions.

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    We are a Coconut plantation with the second biggest lagoon in Sri Lanka as one boundary. It is a stunning property and apart from Coconut has Cashew, Mango and other crops. Located about 2 hours north of the Colombo airport almost adjoining Wilpattu, Sri Lanka's largest National Park (with Leopard, Elephant and a whole lot more) which has an entrance just 30 mins away.

    The closeness to the wildlife park means we have a lot of wildlife - monkeys (a few too many), peacocks, lizards, geckos, land monitors and many more - deer are often spotted on our land depending on the season. The bird life includes types of eagles and you’ll see lots of butterflies.

    We are considering creating simple sustainable accommodation that supports the local community, to cater to the needs of short-term visitors.

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    Take a look at our feedback - all except 3 WA'ers have left feedback. We have very few WA'ers at a time and have a minimum 2 week stay requirement. To ensure that both parties benefit from the experience - we are careful and a bit slow about confirmations - but responses are fast.
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    Please do read this profile carefully and if interested...

    ...let me know about yourself, how long you'll be in the country, what else you'd like to see & experience, how long you'd like to stay with us and how you think you may help - and do ask plenty of questions.

    ...most successful WA'ers have applied well in advance and that is something we encourage and it has worked well for both sides. If you like what you read and think you can fit in and are applying before you come to Sri Lanka - please feel free to get in touch.

    ONLY a detailed email from a prospective WorkAwayer who hasn't arrived in Sri Lanka yet will be considered.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Art Projects
    Language practice
    Help with Eco Projects
    Teaching
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Animal Care
    Farmstay help
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN goals
    No poverty
    Zero hunger
    Good health and well-being
    Quality education
    Gender equality
    Clean water and sanitation
    Affordable and clean energy
    Decent work and economic growth
    Industries, innovation and infrastructure
    Reduce inequality
    Sustainable cities and communities
    Responsible consumption and production
    Climate action
    Life below water
    Life on land
    Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Partnerships for the goals
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    You will be in a;
    >> relatively sparsely populated and very rural part of the country - with very limited impact from traditional tourism
    >> multi-ethnic area with Sinhalese, Tamil & Muslim people who follow Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam or Catholicism

    You will be able to;
    >> explore the local area by foot & kayaks - more extended exploration by bus and/or trishaw (tuk tuk)
    >> meet & interact with local people, visit them in their homes, share meals and socialise with them
    >> interact with the local fishing & farming community
    >> visit local places of worship - buddhist temples, hindu kovils, muslim mosques and catholic churches - as well as visiting small rural schools, hospitals, markets and other community facilities
    >> experience traditional food, cooked on firewood and also learn & participate in the cooking

  • Help

    Help

    We are looking for people to help us in a variety of areas
    - researching and documenting things to do locally
    - helping make the accommodation more suitable
    - photography
    - carpentry
    - website (Wordpress skills) & social media development

    Basically fun people, who can think out of the box and help strategise sustainable solutions that impact positively on the property and the local community.

    We ask that you put in 25 hours a week in a structured manner that also permits you to enjoy and experience the area during your stay.

  • Languages spoken

    English: Fluent
    Sinhalese: Fluent
    Tamil: Fluent

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    Think of it as camping - there are a number of simple local-style thatched houses, toilets & showers are nearby. The buildings including shared sleeping quarters are built to make maximum use of natural ventilation as this part of the country is hot and usually very dry. Inside the houses it is much cooler during most of the day and there is also a great tree-house to read, relax, meditate, do yoga, doze, sleep...

    Great simple traditional food - mainly vegetarian, no meat but depending on the season there's great fresh crabs and prawns available straight from the lagoon

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    Our food is spicy we can make it much less spicy however it is local and will remain somewhat spicy. We cannot provide individual options as food is cooked in one lot for everyone. Most importantly the food is very fresh and cooked on firewood with local ingredients 3 times a day.

    We have kayaks and swimming in the lagoon is totally safe, although it's very shallow so you have to go out a bit to get into deeper water. You can take a boat over to Kalpitiya (it's just 6km across the water - OR 75 kms by road!!!) visit the village market, schools, temple, mosque, kovil & church. You can easily integrate, participate and really understand how small village life works in Sri Lanka.

    Depending on the season you can join a fisherman and go fishing for crab, prawns or fish in the traditional way, visit Wilpattu a really amazing National Park just 30 minutes away.

    Please note that we do not have WiFi throughout the estate - we do have quite good WiFi in some areas - we recommend that all WA'ers bring an unlocked SmartPhone and they can get a local SIM for about US$ 5 that lasts 30 days and gives 6Gb with an additional 4Gb at off-peak times (plus some free calls & text messages)- very useful including for travelling with Google Maps etc

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    We have pretty good internet connectivity though our WiFi in one area - more than enough for zoom type of stuff - we are looking at increasing connectivity to a higher level that can support the needs of multiple "digital nomads" - we are pretty much there.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

Host ref number: 871789487542

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