Bridging Lanka Volunteer Program

Experienced Finance Bods

Experienced bookkeepers, accountants and finance persons with or without formal qualifications to assist local staff broaden their professional skills by setting up simple financial reporting systems and ensure financial accountability.

Description

We are looking for experienced finance persons who could spend a minimum of two or three weeks in a Tamil and Muslim community in northern Sri Lanka to assist local Bridging Lanka staff gain basic expertise in financial reporting systems and ensure financial accountability to directors, government authorities, donors and sponsors. Local people require patient and focused support to develop a basic level of expertise in the area of finance.

Location

The Bridging Lanka office is located in Mannar Town on Mannar Island, on the northwest coast of Sri Lanka.

Skills Required

• Bookkeeping duties: ability to account for financial transactions, manage bank deposits and withdrawals, reconcile bank statements, produce monthly income and expenditure statements, develop bookkeeping policies and procedures, maintain a chart of accounts;
• Payroll: keep records of staff hours and leave entitlements, incorporate a variety of deductions and allowances, issue and distribute pays and pay-related information to employees, manage petty cash systems;
• Knowledge of and experience in using accounting software like MYOB;
• Experience at producing a variety of financial reports for different audiences including Bridging Lanka directors, government authorities, donor agencies and sponsors.

Dates & Duration

At least 2 weeks between March and July 2017.

Contact

Contact Jeremy Liyanage on +61 (0) 403 694 132 or email director@bridginglanka.org

Civil Engineers

Bridging Lanka is seeking qualified and community-minded Civil Engineers able to integrate human development ideals with engineering expertise. Tasks include planning, developing and managing projects across a range of sectors including urban development, the environment, women’s livelihood and social welfare.

• Protection and rehabilitation of Mannar’s kulams
• Urban improvements in materially poor villages - housing, drainage, recreational facilities
• Construction of donkey-related infrastructure – a Donkey Clinic & Community Education Centre and a Donkey Assisted Therapy Centre
• A café and commercial kitchen as part of a widows’ livelihood initiative, working toward social, economic and health outcomes.

Comms Professionals

Bridging Lanka and its work are growing significantly and we are looking for Comms Professionals who will assist us to improve our communications and marketing.

Tasks include graphic and layout for reports, community awareness fliers, website updates, newsletters, FaceBook uploads, video scripting and production, marketing... .

We also need professionals to develop an effective comms strategy for us. Volunteers can be based anywhere in the worldbut we would also be delighted to host you in Mannar, north-west Sri Lanka.

Volunteering in Sri Lanka - Matthew Sacco

Business Strategy sat down with Matthew Sacco after he had returned from Mannar, northwest Sri Lanka.

Matthew's interest was piqued when he saw an email about planning volunteer opportunities with a non-government organisation (NGO) called Bridging Lanka. Bridging Lanka is an NGO that works to unite the Sri Lankan diaspora in Australia and to rebuild regional Sri Lanka through livelihood support, business development, service advocacy, urban planning and reconciliation. Matthew stated "it was an opportunity to be practical with my planning skills, offered a grounding experience of life in a developing nation, and you could meet interesting people."

Matthew was one of six volunteers who arrived on 26 June 2017 for a six week period and,  as part of the urban planning stream, was involved with the Kulam Rehabilitation project. "The Kulams are drainage ponds that are at risk of encroachment from residential development. If the ponds are no longer there, there is severe flooding in the area. Our task was to improve the civic area around the Periyakamum kulam to enhance its use for community purposes." Last year's volunteers had drawn up a masterplan and consultation plan for the kulam. Matthew's group had to deliver it.

"There were lots of challenges, like constant power blackouts however it is what you sign up for and in the end it was satisfying accomplishing something in a challenging environment. You constantly had to adjust your expectations, we were having doubts we could finish the project and then it all came together! You become friends for life with the other volunteers. I remain in constant contact with the project and would love to go back."

Fantastic project that you were involved in Matthew – well done. For more information or to donate to Bridging Lanka go to: http://bridginglanka.org/. 

Planning Update, Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning

Vilma and Lindsey

Vilma and Lindsey from Melbourne are no strangers to Sri Lanka. Vilma is of Burgher heritage and came to Mannar to explore its Dutch history, with Bridging Lanka as the trial tour operators. Although a fleeting visit, Vilma and Lindsey were keen to know about other BL programs, a sign of their deep connection to Sri Lanka and their generous hearts. Back in Australia they have offered to provide library books, have written articles for newspapers, arranged SBS radio promotion to bring some badly-needed publicity.

Lindsey and Vilma learn about IT Platform’s operation.

Margaret Bornhorst - ESL Teacher

Brisbane-based Margaret Bornhorst is a teacher of languages and came to Mannar to assist with the research and development of the English as a second language program. Margaret brought academic rigour, helpful know-how and oodles of positive energy so was a delight to have around for professional AND social reasons. Margaret spoke to many teachers and classes of students and together with Grace and Huyen, set up a support group for English teachers, making many valuable language resources available.

Margaret forged instant rapport with many.

Mirjam Link

Mirjam Link, from Estonia, was yet another shining light. Mirjam was activity-focused and conducted holiday programs for Mannar’s youngsters. Her “tom boy” energy was balanced by a deeply connecting and open disposition – always a mature presence to have around. Mirjam was also hard-working and took initiative. She was also tasked with undertaking an evaluation of Diaspora Lanka’s volunteer and homestay programs. She was well loved by the locals and supported them through tough times.

The yin and yang are well balanced in Mirjam.

Huyen Lai

Huyen Lai is another very special volunteer, from Vietnam, who spent six months in Mannar. Huyen brought a “bad girl” drive to whatever she did and was passionate and hard working. Her heart, head and hands were aligned and she engaged with honesty, humility and a learning spirit. Huyen was tasked with undertaking research into teacher and student experiences of learning English in Mannar, building the capacity of existing English teachers, conducting language classes for students and supporting youth leadership development.

Tauri Tampuu

Tauri Tampuu from Estonia volunteered for four months in Mannar. This is one extraordinary young man. He brought a rare and impressive level of commitment to the tasks assigned to him, related genuinely with local people and was a great personal support to Jeremy.

His primary project was to head up a team to develop a sustainable and community-level tourism strategy for Mannar. Tauri brought a strong work ethic balanced with loads of fun. His adoption by the community means he has no choice but to return.

Aussie Planning Volunteers

A big thank you to the 10 Aussie volunteers from various planning backgrounds that took a month out of their year to contribute their skills to a region of Sri Lanka struggling to get back on its feet.

Divided into two teams and spanning a two month period, the volunteers were plunged into a schedule of community consultations, tricky negotiations, field surveys and investigations into land ownership plus writing and design sessions. Their outputs will be incorporated into the new town plan for Mannar. Shamani hosts Team 1 in Colombo prior to Mannar.

Steve Dunn

Steve Dunn, National Director of Planning Institute of Australia (PIA), recruited, trained and coordinated a group of planners who came to Mannar, northern Sri Lanka to work on a project to protect and rehabilitate a water retention body (kulam) to reduce flooding and create open space with recreational and health benefits.

We are indebted to Steve for his passionate commitment, humility and generosity of spirit for Sri Lanka. It is his fifth visit to Mannar!

4 Planners

A big thank you to four inspirational planners with town planning, urban design, landscape architecture and environmental backgrounds who volunteered in Mannar for a month and made positive headway in establishing a 'demonstration kulam' so that local authorities and residents would stop encroaching and filling the kulams and hence protect the urban area from annual flooding. They heralded from Shanghai, Berlin, Melbourne, Perth and Sri Lanka.