How
can I join the program?
Due to the large volume
of emails we are receiving
for our tsunami programs,
we suggest you apply ASAP
and reserve your place.
Application forms can
be found on the Global
Crossroad website at www.globalcrossroad.com.
Simply fill out an application
form and submit it on-line,
or post or fax it to the
address provided.
Where
is my arrival destination?
Colombo International
Airport in Colombo is
the major international
airport in Sri Lanka.
When
should I arrive?
Volunteers should arrive
ONE DAY prior to the start
of the project. Global
Crossroad offers accommodations/meals
from the first to the
last day of the program.
You are responsible for
arranging your own lodging
and meals if you arrive
earlier than the scheduled
start date or stay after
the completion of the
project. Please contact
our in-country coordinator
for advice in finding
affordable accommodations
if you plan to arrive
earlier than the scheduled
start date.
How
will I get to my prearranged
Global Crossroad volunteer
accommodation from the
airport?
Please do not forget
to send your final flight
itinerary to Global Crossroad
and to our in-country
coordinator. You will
find his e-mail address
in your placement details.
Our coordinator or one
of our staff members will
be waiting for you at
the airport terminal and
holding a sign saying
“Global Crossroad.”
If you arrive before the
first day of the project,
he will take you to a
hotel near the airport.
(Please refer to our list
of hotels.) You are responsible
for arranging and paying
for your lodging and meals
prior to the first day
of the project. Transportation
to the volunteer accommodation
site in Galle is explained
above (see Airport Transportation.)
Please do not forget
to bring telephone numbers
of our coordinator along
with the contact hotel
address and telephone
number in the event you
miss your connection.
This is provided in your
placement details. If
you arrive in Colombo
very early in the morning
or very late at night,
please wait until morning
to call.
Is
it possible for friends
to stay together?
We try our best to place
all friends together.
What
vaccinations will I need
for Sri Lanka?
We recommend the following
immunizations: Hepatitis
A and B, typhoid, Japanese
encephalitis, influenza,
and polio. We strongly
advise our volunteers
to consult their doctor
concerning vaccinations
prior to traveling. Also,
volunteers should get
a prescription for an
anti-malarial drug since
there is a risk of malaria
in Sri Lanka. Follow your
doctor’s instructions
carefully—many of
these medications should
be taken prior to leaving
and for a short time after
you return home.
What
do I need to know about
traveling and sightseeing
in Sri Lanka?
If you are planning to
travel to Sri Lanka either
before or after your scheduled
volunteer program, you
will need extra money.
However, you will be pleased
to discover that Sri Lanka
is an inexpensive destination.
You will be able to purchase
interesting gifts for
your family and friends
in easy-to-find locations.
Major currencies and traveler's
checks are easy to exchange
in the airport or with
any other exchange agent
in heavily populated areas.
Please discuss your travel
plans with our in-country
coordinators. Debit cards
are accepted in most ATMs.
Lonely Planet books are
an excellent resource
for further information.
You will most likely use
tuk-tuks (three-wheelers)
as a method of transportation
while in Sri Lanka. They
are inexpensive, but remember
to haggle to get the lowest
price before you begin
your journey. If you feel
that you are being quoted
a fare that is too expensive,
get out and start walking
. . . you’ll be
amazed at how quickly
the price will drop.
What
kinds of clothes should
I bring?
PACK FOR HOT WEATHER!
Evening clothes: Rural
Sri Lanka is quite conservative,
and volunteers are expected
to respect the local customs,
traditions, and dress.
Women should not wear
shorts, mini-skirts, see-through
garments, or sundresses
when visiting temples.
Humidity is high, so lightweight
clothes such as linen
are best. Bring white
clothes to wear for special
occasions, such as Full
Moon Day.
Work Clothes: The most
practical clothing items
for women are modest T-shirts,
light cotton shirts, shorts
or pants. For men, please
bring shirts, T-shirts,
and Bermuda shorts or
pants. Hats are also very
important. Closed-toe
shoes (preferably work
boots) are advisable for
construction and relief
work.
Will
the program provide any
sort of insurance for
the volunteers involved?
Global Crossroad’s
program covers insurance
for our volunteers. Please
contact us for more information.
Questions
related to houses:
Where
are the houses being built
for tsunami survivors?
Some houses are built
on their original sites.
Often the existing foundation
is cleared and inspected
for stability. In some
cases, the existing foundation
has to be removed. This
is done with crude tools
and manual labor.
Some of the homes have
to be relocated because
the government no longer
allows houses to be built
closer than 100 meters
from the ocean.
Manual labor is the methods
used for digging a foundation
in Sri Lanka:
1. The house plan is
roped off with sturdy
branches and twine
2. The digging and clearing
is done with a “mamoty”
(a large hoe), a pick
axe, straight crowbars,
and square shovels.
This is very strenuous
work. Sri Lanka has
few excavators, and
they are difficult to
rent.
How
is the foundation built?
• Large boulders
are delivered to the
site. Workers place
them into trenches;
smaller rocks are placed
between the boulders
to make them more solid.
The trenches are 12
inches deep by 12 inches
wide. The corner posts
are dug by hand, 3 feet
deep by 3 square feet.
• Cement is mixed
on the ground by measuring
sand, cement and water.
The sand and cement
are formed into a volcano-like
shape, and workers bring
buckets of water from
the well to pour into
the center of the sand
mixture. Mixers use
shovels and hoes to
blend the concrete.
• Workers carry
concrete to the mason,
who pours it around
the rocks in the trenches.
Gradually, more rock
and concrete is added
to build a 1-foot-high
foundation wall.
• Approximately
1 foot of cement is
poured into the corner
posts, and then rebar
is placed in the center
of each post hole.
• Rebar is cut
and shaped by hand.
• Concrete is
then poured into each
corner post over the
first layer (dry) and
around the rebar.
• An engineer
is on site to oversee
each step.
How
are the houses framed?
• All of the
walls are made with
concrete (cinder) blocks.
• Blocks are delivered
by truck to the site.
Workers form lines and
pass blocks down the
line to the appropriate
space.
• Blocks are placed
and cemented together
to form walls. A plastic
hollow tube is filled
three-fourths full with
water and used as a
level.
• String is used
to keep each level straight.
• The concrete
is applied using a metal
pan, a trowel, and a
block of wood to keep
the concrete in place—one
brick at a time.
• When the walls
are approximately five
feet high, spaces between
the blocks are made
to hold scaffolding.
• Using machetes,
workers cut long poles
of bamboo approximately
4 inches diameter. These
are used to be the scaffold
frame which later holds
on which workers stand.
• Walls are built
7 feet high.
• Peak (lintels)
are built with the blocks
How
are the roofs constructed?
Global Crossroad’s
in-country staff learned
of the possible health
risks involved in working
with asbestos. Although
most homes in Sri Lanka
have asbestos roofing,
the World Health Organisation
advises against building
new structures with asbestos.
Global Crossroad is committed
to providing safe housing
to Sri Lankans and is
presently making arrangements
to switch to tile roofing.
Is
electricity installed?
Yes. Just before the
plastering, workers use
hammers to create indentations
in walls and ceilings
according to electrical
plans, drawing and digging
out squares for outlets,
fans, lights, and switches.
Plastic pipe is installed
and wire is pulled through
to each outlet, then to
the breaker panel. Up
to one week after inspection,
electricity is connected.
What
kind of plumbing is installed?
In the bathroom, the
toilet, sink, and shower
are installed with plastic
pipe which is inserted
through holes and indentations
made with hammers (as
electrical). The shower
is installed in the room
with the floor slanted
to a drain. The kitchen
has a sink only.
Does
each house have a septic
tank or sewer system?
Houses are serviced
by a septic tank. In the
new site, a hole 6-by-4
feet in diameter is dug
by hand and a tank is
installed with a pipe
running through the garden.
Do
the families participate
in the building process
for their own homes?
In some instances, some
family members do participate
in the unskilled aspects
of the building. Neighbourhood
children and some adults
enjoy participating as
well.
How
are the houses finished?
• Plaster is
applied to the walls
inside and out. The
mixing of plaster is
similar to the mixing
of concrete, the differences
being that the sand
is sifted by hand to
make a finer finish
and plaster compound
is added.
• At this point
in the project, there
are usually different
people assigned to each
task.
• Sifting sand:
one person shovels sand
into the sifter (wooden
frame with handles on
two sides and metal
mesh on the bottom).
Two people then rock
the sifter back and
forth with a brick inside
to help force the fine
sand through the mesh.
• One or two people
mix the plaster
• One person takes
a bucket of plaster
to the plasterers.
• Note: This process
is most effective when
workers rotate the jobs.
• Windows and
doors are made with
wood and installed after
plastering is complete.
• The next step
is painting. This is
a very basic procedure.
Brushes and rollers
are used.
How
are the floors finished?
The floors are leveled
with dirt and stone taken
from the trench digging.
Then, a finer soil or
sand is applied and tamped
down. The tampers are
generally made from a
thick, straight branch
or wood pole, with two
short pieces of 2x4 attached
horizontally to produce
a flat surface. The worker
starts at one side and
sidesteps, pounding the
floor surface as he goes.
Concrete (fine) is poured
by the bucket and leveled
by hand. The surface is
a smooth, colored cement.
What
should I bring for gifts
to kids or tsunami survivors
family?
• Kitchen Utensils
– Pots, pans,
Cutlery
• Kerosene/Gas
cookers
• Fans
• Furniture –
Tables, Chairs, Beds
• Personal Hygiene
items for men, women
and children
• Toys/Games –
preferably toys without
batteries
• Construction
tools – Trowels,
Pickaxes, Shovels, Mamoties,
Crowbars, Chisels, Mason
spoons, Levelers, Hammers,
• Screwdrivers
• Food (one of
the orphanages suggested
that fresh vegetables
are regularly in short
supply)
• Clothes (during
the Monsoon season,
raincoats and umbrellas
would be extremely helpful)
– Please do not
send heavy/winter clothes
as the temperature in
Sri Lanka is quite warm
all year round.
• First Aid Supplies
• Shoes, Flip-flops/Slippers
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