If you woke up tomorrow and felt a little depressed or stressed, you could probably walk into your nearest mental health clinic and have a healthy chat. If a loved one encountered brain damage or memory loss, the care they would need is readily available to make their lives bearable.

Now, let’s flip the story and say you were living in Sri Lanka. Yes, there are beautiful beaches, lush food and restaurants. But if you or a loved one had a mental health issue you would be queuing up behind 499,999 people that would also be queuing up for the same, one psychiatrist.

Sri Lanka has one the highest rates of depression, alcoholism, substance abuse and suicides in the world. However, the resources for people living with mental illnesses are very scarce, and the situation was further worsened by the severe psychological damage caused by the Tsunami in 2004 and three decades of violent ethnic conflict which came to an end in 2009.

I have been accepted on a Mental Health Placement in Sri Lanka for 5 weeks next summer. The programme is run by an organisation called SLV (Sri Lanka Volunteers) which aims to help vulnerable adults and children who are mentally ill. I will be volunteering in a Psychiatric Hospital and a Rehabilitation centre as well as teaching and assisting young school children and those with special needs.

I am one of the volunteers that will be helping to increase the help needed for the vulnerable adults and children in Sri Lanka suffering from mental health issues. I am aiming to raise £2500 and will be very grateful for every penny sponsored towards my cause. Your contribution would be very much appreciated, and would go a long way in my effort to brighten the day of someone who isn’t as lucky as us.

Thank you,
Angelica.

Visit www.slvolunteers.com for more details