SLV.Global

SLV.Global is a graduate-led volunteering organisation working in Sri Lanka and Bali, Indonesia.

We began in 2010 when Lucy Nightingale, a then recent Psychology graduate from the University of Manchester, joined forces with Yasintha Rathnayake, a Sri Lankan youth worker. Our volunteers provide valuable support in various facilities by running therapeutic activity sessions for those living with a wide range of mental health issues and various disabilities, as well as taking part in English for Development projects in the community.

All of our placements are designed to provide maximum benefit to the communities where we work, whilst at the same time providing skilled volunteers with the chance to gain much-desired psychology work experience.

In both Sri Lanka and Bali, volunteers work one day a week in a Psychiatric facility and spend the rest of their week at various other mental health, special needs and English teaching projects, thus utilising and developing a wide range of skills. Our aim is to bolster the resources at pre-existing facilities and provide greater social interaction and stimulation for individuals living in institutionalised care. Through planning and delivering stimulating and interesting sessions for service users, volunteers gain valuable hands on experience within the mental health sector and also have the opportunity to view mental health from an additional cultural perspective.

  • All students are welcome to apply, including final years and postgraduates.
  • All volunteers must be aged 18 or over when they arrive on placement.
  • SLV.Global opportunities are predominantly aimed at Psychology students and graduates but may also be of interest to Education, Sociology, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, and Mental Health Nursing degrees.
  • A minimum of 3 weeks full-time hands-on experience working with vulnerable is preferable, but not compulsory.
  • Bali placements run from January to September and last 4 weeks.
  • SLV.Global recruits year round but placements tend to reach capacity 6-8 months in advance.
  • Places for summer dates fill up much quicker, so think of applying 10 to 12 months ahead.
  • Once accepted onto a placement team, volunteers are kept up to date with the pre-departure processes required e.g. visa application, booking flights, travel insurance etc.
  • The SLV.Global London Office team are available to offer guidance and assistance with pre-departure processes.
  • Volunteers can attend a pre-departure meet up with fellow volunteers at the London office and all pre-departure information is available to volunteers through the online portal. 
  • Volunteers are picked up from the airport by the SLV.Global team and taken to their accommodation.
  • There is 24 hour in-country support for volunteers from the supervisors, national staff members, peer mentors and project managers.
  • The London office is also in constant contact with the in-country team.
  • Volunteers take part in a compulsory training week in their first week in the country. Training sessions include working with vulnerable children and adults, working with individuals with special needs, teaching English and cultural awareness and sensitivity.
  • All volunteers live in homestay accommodation with a group of other volunteers in the team.
  • Some homestays will also have a volunteer peer mentor living with them and each homestay area has a Supervisor.
  • Volunteers are able to travel in their free time at weekends and explore the beautiful sites in Bali.
  • All volunteers are required to pay a non-refundable Placement Acceptance Fee of £250.
  • Placement Fees range from £1100 to £1700 depending on location and length of time volunteering. This is inclusive of food and accommodation during the week, training, a team building weekend in the jungle, workshops and 24/7 in-country support.
  • Volunteers are required to cover the cost of their flights, vaccinations and personal insurance.
  • £50 - £100 per week is recommended for personal spending money, depending on whether volunteers choose to live like locals or treat the weekends as holidays.
  • All volunteers will have access to fundraising tips and tricks on their online portals, as well as advice and top tips from previous volunteers who were able to successfully fundraise for their placement.
  • Please apply using Volunteer Hub
  • Search for 'SLV. Global' and click on 'apply' in the relevant advert.
  • Applicants will be invited to book themselves in for a short telephone interview with a member of the team. This team member will provide more information about the placements available, assess the applicant’s level of experience and advise them on which placement they are best suited to.

Information sessions

We will be running more sessions throughout semester 1 and 2, details will be listed here as and when they come up.

Find out more