Healthcare in Sri Lanka follows its own approach: different resources, different equipment, and a long tradition of Ayurvedic medicine alongside conventional care. Experiencing that difference first hand is exactly what makes this placement so valuable.

As a volunteer, you get a genuine look behind the scenes of a Sri Lankan hospital, learn from local doctors and nurses, and broaden your medical knowledge, whether you're already studying medicine or gathering your very first experience in the field.

Your Project

You'll experience everyday life in a local hospital and gain insight into a range of departments, for example a children's ward, a surgical ward, and the emergency room. Depending on your previous experience, you may also be placed in areas such as urology, neurosurgery, surgical oncology, or dialysis. Everyone begins in an observing role, watching over the shoulders of doctors and nurses and learning as you go. Theory sessions are part of the program too, along with a two to three hour introduction to the principles of Ayurvedic medicine.

The project is divided into three tracks, so there's a fit for every level of experience:

Pre-Medical

The ideal starting point if you want to explore the medical field. You'll develop a broad understanding of how areas such as emergency care, physiotherapy, general surgery, and paediatrics work, through observation-based learning alongside doctors and nursing staff, complemented by a range of community-focused activities.

A Community Week is a fixed part of this track: a week outside the hospital visiting local schools, care homes, or facilities for people with disabilities, where you support health education, first aid training, and community care. It's included in your project time, not an additional week.

Nursing Internship (min. 5 weeks)

For current students or graduates of recognised nursing degree programs. You'll gain practical experience in departments such as obstetrics, emergency care, and physiotherapy. What makes this track special is the weekly rotation between departments, giving you a genuinely varied picture of the system and close collaboration with local professionals. 

Clinical Traineeship (min. 5 weeks), recognised as a Famulatur in Germany

For students in the clinical phase of their studies or graduates of medical universities. You'll gather practical experience across departments including general medicine, surgery, emergency medicine, and paediatrics, and here too, you change department every week, which keeps the insights coming throughout your stay.

A Community Week is optional in this track and highly recommended: it offers direct interaction with patients and a completely new perspective. It is booked as an additional week.

Please note that the length of the Community Week can vary depending on your program duration, that tasks in the project may differ, and that not every activity can be guaranteed.

Good to know: no medical background is required to take part, and this project can be recognised as a Famulatur or a nursing internship.

Location: Your project takes place in a local hospital, with a daily transfer to and from the wayers Home included in your program.

Who You Will Be Working With

You'll work alongside local doctors and nursing staff, who guide your work day to day and are happy to show you what they're doing. If you're on the nursing or clinical traineeship track, the weekly department change means you'll get to know several teams over the course of your stay. Our local team leader is Amit, and your main contacts on the ground are Falik and Rishad. Both are native Sri Lankans, speak good English, and are there throughout your stay with tips and helpful information.

You won't be on your own at any point: other wayers volunteers live with you at the wayers Home, exclusive for wayers volunteers, share the daily shuttle to and from the project, and work in the same hospital alongside you. Community here isn't something you have to go looking for, it's part of the setup from day one.

What We Expect From You

No medical knowledge is required to join the pre-medical track. The nursing internship is open to students and graduates of recognised nursing programs, and the clinical traineeship to students in the clinical phase or graduates of medical universities. What matters most is curiosity and initiative: staying attentive, asking questions, and getting involved where you can, always with respect toward staff and patients.

Standards and medical equipment will differ from what you're used to at home. Approaching that with an open mind is part of the experience, and often the part participants take the most away from. The minimum age is 18, and the minimum stay is four weeks.

What You Can Expect From Us

Before departure, we prepare you through an online seminar, access to the wayers Lounge, and the opportunity to connect with fellow participants. On arrival in Colombo, you're met by a driver and brought to your accommodation, where our local team welcomes you personally.

Throughout your stay, you'll have contact persons at the project, along with personal support from our team on the ground. The daily transfer to and from the hospital, three meals a day, the introductory course in Ayurvedic medicine, and a weekly yoga session are all included, and a 24 hour emergency line staffed in Germany and in Sri Lanka is available for the entire duration of your stay. After your return, you'll receive a certificate of participation.