Combating Mental Health. Sri Lanka 2017; Take I...

Maddie Faith Start Date: Feb 12, 2017 - End Date: Aug 11, 2017
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • TEFL/Teach Abroad
  • Volunteer Trip
  • Sri Lanka

My Travel Story

by: Maddie Faith Start Date: Feb 12, 2017 - End Date: Aug 11, 2017
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • TEFL/Teach Abroad
  • Volunteer Trip
A twenty-five year civil-war and a tsunami in 2004; there's not much Sri Lankan's can't handle, but everyone needs a bit of help sometimes.

After these events, Sri Lanka are still picking up the aftermath, helping to support locals and rebuild their livelihoods whilst still trying to reinvent themselves. Sri Lanka is a small island off the coast of India, with a population of approximately 21 million locals. However, with a population of only 21 million, Sri Lanka also has one of the highest rates in the world for suicide and make up 11.5% of the global population for diagnosed neuropsychiatric disorders. 
 
As a Psychology (BSc) Undergraduate I have been blessed with the opportunity to join the SLV Global team out in Sri Lanka in Summer 2017. I will be volunteering on a Mental Health Placement helping in a local psychiatric hospital, rehabilitation centre and special needs facility whilst also doing youth and children's teaching (TEFL).  

I chose Sri Lanka because I wanted to go to a place that I felt was most in need, where mental health services were scarce. Whilst helping people on a daily basis, this placement will also be an amazing eye-opener. With SLV Global placements, volunteers live like locals meaning it is the ultimate cultural experience. 

This placement will allow me to gain international, hands-on experience, that will open up so many doors to progress into the field of psychology and also gain a TEFL qualification.     

My one goal in life has been to make a difference in the world, and although I know this is a bit far fetched, even helping one person can make their world a completely new one and I believe that working with SLV  Global can lead me one step closer to doing this.
  • Sri Lanka