Stories, advice and feedback from VESL volunteers, co-ordinators and student leaders.
Volunteer Diary: Don’t Think: ACT!
“If you are thinking about volunteering with VESL my message would be don’t think – act! You are guaranteed an incredibly rewarding experience you will never forget. The schools here in Sri Lanka desperately need more volunteers to help improve their English speaking and listening, and your efforts will be more than appreciated. Come and be a part of something amazing; you won’t regret it!” Melissa Hughes, Sri Lanka, 2012
Fundraising Idea: Non-Uniform Day/Dress Down Day
An easy way to raise a couple of hundred pounds! “It felt great to go back to my old School, they were more than happy to help out and I
Travelling Tip: Toilets
Kath McGuire has recent an excellent and insightful post about how to use toilets in Asia. Most recently Kath spent the summer in Thailand as the Country Coordinator for our
Video Diary: Life in Thailand
Jodie Thackray volunteered with VESL in Thailand in Summer 2012, here she has put together an excellent video of her time there, from teaching in school to eating crickets! Jodie
Fundraising Idea: Bag Packing
Bag packing is a great way to raise money for your target and it is relatively easy! Why do bag packing? It involves relatively little preparation, past volunteers have been
Fundraising Idea: Car Boot Sale
Car boot sales are a great way to raise money, even if you aren’t a hoarder you can ask your friends and family to do a clear out and donate
A day in the life: India Project
Olivia Higginson is currently in India on a three month project and has written an excellent article below about what she does on a day to day basis… Morning 7:00am Wake
Dealing with reverse culture shock…
What is reverse culture shock? If you have volunteered with VESL for a long period of time you may find the shock of coming back to the UK bigger than
Fundraising Idea: Events & Occasions
A great way to fundraise is to hold an event on a special occasion or holiday, so we have put together a list of different holidays and events throughout the
Case Study: Fundraising Experience
Sarah Redgewell volunteered with VESL and below explains the different ways she raised money to reach her fundraising target, most importantly Sarah was able to have fun and fit in