Colombo, Sri Lanka—Religious Youth Service of Sri Lanka would like to announce its 2016 service project and invite international volunteers to take part.
The project, “Youth for Building Unity in the Community,” is scheduled for August 12 to 19, and will be set in the village of Vijayapura in Sri Lanka’s southeastern Ampara district.
RYS of Sri Lanka is seeking up to 50 volunteers from diverse cultures and religions to join this project.
Participants will take part in a classic RYS leadership program led by an experienced, internationally renowned educator, including team-building exercises, lectures and interactions, interreligious discussions, sightseeing and community service through fieldwork.
The service part of the project will involve completing the work on a partially built community welfare center in Vijayapura. The project volunteers will lay a concrete floor, pave tiles, paint the walls, erect the roofing, and clean the surroundings. Once the building is finished, it can be used by the 270 families in this rural village for community events such as social gatherings, funerals, etc.
Situated about 330 kilometers (about 205 miles) from Colombo, the nation’s largest city, Ampara district has a population of over 6 million comprising different ethnic, religious and social groups. The main income is from paddy (unmilled rice) cultivation. The residents’ livelihood is dependent on the weather as it affects paddy cultivation.
Vijayapura is a scenic hamlet with lush, green paddy fields, serene streams and coconut plantations. Ampara has many pristine beaches, including the famous Arugam Bay Beach, which attracts tourists from all over the world. With four wildlife sanctuaries, the district is renowned for its biodiversity. In addition, many remnants of the once glorious Digamadulla Kingdom, its palaces and ancient monasteries, are scattered throughout the district.
Religious Youth Service, a project of Universal Peace Federation, first set foot in Sri Lanka in 1992, heralding a new era of a peace mission which was embraced enthusiastically by the youth of this island nation.
Since 2000, RYS of Sri Lanka has organized projects annually, choosing young volunteers who represent a variety of languages, ethnicities, and religions. Taking bold steps over the years to strengthen the peace process in the country, RYS has been at the forefront of inspiring young people to think high, dream big and work together for a united, harmonious and peaceful world.
Those who would like to participate in the 2016 RYS project are requested to contact Ms. Dinesha Liyanasuriya by July 25, 2016, on
Download link to the Registration Form for this project.