Case studies
Read more about volunteers' experiences of living and working in Sri Lanka, what it's like to work with a VSO volunteer from the point of view of our partners, and how our work is improving mental health in Sri Lanka.
Katherine Allen
'Absolutely everything I achieved in my placement was a team effort.' Katherine Allen has just returned from a year providing management support to colleagues at The Nivahana Society of Kandy, an organisation dedicated to raising awareness of and improving services for the mentally ill. Here Katherine describes her relationship with her work counterpart Kalani and how she has developed her colleagues’ skills in project management.
Hilary Colston
"Because we live and work at a grass roots level, we are sharing everyday frustrations with our colleagues and neighbours."
Nick McNulty
"We've created a weight of activity to put mental health on the map." Nick McNulty applied his experience as a Director of Community Healthcare in Essex to work in the Central Province of Sri Lanka from 2002 to 2004. He supported the development of new community mental health services, helping civil society and provincial government to coordinate joint efforts.
Kalani Bandara
"I worked with Katherine for a year and her support is unforgettable." Kalani Bandara works at Nivahana Society of Kandy, an organisation dedicated to raising awareness of and improving services for people with mental health problems. Katherine Allen worked with Kalani to strengthen the effectiveness of Nivahana’s activities and develop Kalani’s confidence in project management.
Marking the Journey towards a Healthy Nation
How did you mark World Mental Health Day in 2007? Find out how our partners, volunteers and their service users celebrated the day in Sri Lanka.
Learning for the UK mental health sector - insights from Sri Lanka
Katherine Allen reflects on the similarities as well as the differences between attitudes to mental health, and mental health services in Sri Lanka and the UK.
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'A big part of my work here is giving people confidence their ideas can happen.'
Nina Maini, Mental Health OT
'It’s very important to have VSO volunteers because they have different ways of thinking and together with them we are able to plan new kinds of initiatives.'
Chandanie Senadheera, Galle