Dearest Janaka – Our Sri Lankan Dad,

We don’t think that any words we can write for you could even come close to expressing how we feel about you and about your time here. We are BEYOND grateful – not just for these past 3 weeks, but for the months leading up to our time here -  also for the past 10 years!

Had James not met you 10 years ago, we would never have been here with you now. So for keeping in touch, for continuing to keep on interests in James over the years, we thank you!

From the very beginning you made the entire planning process feel so easy and stress-free, always answering our many questions and making us feel completely at ease.

When James suggested a medical elective trip to Sri Lanka and that he “Knew and amazing man called Janaka who will literally sort it all out for us”. Eleri wasn’t so sure what to think. But now sitting other side of this experience, it is so easy to see.

Janaka, you are a selfless, generous, kind and caring man, we are so grateful for you. James spoke so highly of you and now I can see exactly why. You have made us feel so at home here, and we will forever be grateful for the memories you have helped create and been such a huge part of it. From our wonderful weekend trips, our post-dinner stories, learning about your beautiful philosophy & faith, the care journeys with you to and from projects & hospital, and the projects themselves – everything we have learned from you and this experience is something we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.

Thank you again and again for your kindness, generosity and warmth you and your family & community are truly amazing. You have such a big beautiful heart and we will never forget how you have cared for us. We leave behind a piece if our heart here in Sri Lanka.

With love & immense gratitude, until the next time! 

It’s all hard to realize how fast the last 3 months flew by. And I thank you for opening the doors of your home for me. The hospitality compared with your kindness, generosity, and helping hand have made my stay here very pleasant and I am grateful for that

You have made so much possible during our internship at the hospital in the way we were able to learn so much and improve our knowledge as nursing students. I also learnt so much from you. The lessons you gave us about mindfulness and the importance to control your thoughts have helped me become aware of my own thoughts. Of course I have a long way to go to completely control the mind but the awareness has helped me also during some hard times here.

I think what you have built in here is an amazing opportunity for volunteers all over the world to make an impact and improve their own knowledge and skills. And I’m grateful that I had the chance be a part of this amazing community. I also want to thank you for helping me with our research. For amazing people we could interview and answering all our questions and helping us to get in contact with Dr.Mudith. Unfortunately my internship and time in the volunteer house is over, but I will keep these memories and experience for the rest of my life. Not to worry this is not a goodbye. I fell in love with the beauty of this country, Sri Lanka. And I will visit again hopefully soon. I’m gonna miss this place and its amazing people.

First of all big hug for you and your family. We will remember this experience forever. If six weeks seems like a short time, the stories you have shared with us and the spirit of this volunteer house made us feel at home.

The physiotherapy work sessions was different from France, but we learned so much from the patients. This exposure allowed us to meet a lot of people and these encounters were really meaningful for us like you always say, this house without its people isn’t a home, but your presence makes it one.

We are really grateful for all the things we learned here and for all the opportunities we had during this internship. Special mention to Koeli, you shared her time with us and to help us translate. We sincerely hope this project will not end with you but it will continue and stay a family project with Koeli in the years to come.

It’s with STARS in our eyes we leave this country!

Thank you so much for having me these past two weeks, and being so kind and welcoming. My time here has been more amazing than I could ever have hoped for and will continue to be a part of most memories.

Been here, I have met some of the most amazing and inspiring people and I am so grateful to be a part of their journey. Places like this also have the tendency to draw in some amazing & caring volunteers, making the community here so special like a big family.

I never thought that in just 2 weeks, I could make such an impact on people’s lives and I will cherish this experience and keep them in my heart and memories. I will miss Sri Lanka, and I hope to return some time soon to this amazing place again.

First of all, I just want to say thank you. Thank you so much for your incredible hospitality. Thank you for the care you put of your family.

This was my first volunteering experience, and you made it feel easy & natural. I truly believe that genuine kind people are rare but you reminded me that they still exists and that you are definitely one of them!

I also want to thank all the beautiful people I met here – those who have already left and those who are still here. It wasn’t easy for me to come here alone, especially joining a group where everyone already seemed connected but from the very first day, you made me feel welcome and comfortable. Thank you for the beautiful memories that I will carry in my heart.

What I will take away from this experience, more than anything is the certainly that good people still exist. You all have such kind hearts, never change.

Thank you for everything you have given us during our time here. From the very beginning, you made us feel truly welcome, safe and cared for. It never felt like we were just volunteers staying in your house – it felt like being part of a family.

Your kindness showed itself in so many ways in the time you took for us, in how you listened to us, supported us and always tried to make sure we were okay. No matter if it was work, daily life or our free time – you were always there for us.

What touched us especially was your openness. You share your philosophy, introduced us to Buddhism and allowed us to see parts of your personal life. These moments meant a lot to me and made this experience so much deeper than I ever expected.

I met many wonderful people during this time, but you are a big reason why this place will always stay in my heart. The memories I made here, the lessons I learned and the warmth I felt will stay with me wherever I go. Thank you for your generosity, your patience, and your BIG HEART! This experience changed me and I will always be grateful for it.   

When I look back on the past four weeks, I realized how truly special this time has been for me. It was not just an internship, it was an experience that touched me and changed me on many levels.

I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your patience, your openness, and the trust you placed in us. You always took time to explain things carefully, involved in us, and to truly teach us. Because of you, I was able to grow not only professionally but also improve my language skills.

Even more valuable to me were our conversations about Buddhism, about life, and about inner attitude. These things helped me better understand Sri lanka and the same time and t better understand myself. During this time, I learned a lot about who I am, about my strengths, my limits and about what truly matters to me.

Your calm nature, your patience and your positive mind set have inspired me. I am taking home not only new knowledge but also new perspectives and many thoughts that will stay with me for a long time.

This experience will always have a special place in y heart. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it. With deep gratitude and my very best wishes for you

My life has had so many different paths. What brought me here to Sri Lanka? A meditation group, a chance conversation, a 70^th Birthday and here we are. I have been overwhelmed in so many way, my emotions have changed, wildly. I have realized even more professionally that love does not need a spoken language. This home where we come together at meal times to share is truly a blessing. Our diversity is a strength and is a demonstration of how our world could be.

So thank you Janaka, thank you for all what you do. Thank you Sri Lanka, you have so much to give the friendliness, the beauty, the dawn and evening chorus. My heart has a special for you.

This experience with you in Sri Lanka has been so meaningful to me. It touched me deeply in such a beautiful way. I will keep all the smiles, the bright eyes, and the laughter forever in my mind and my heart. Such simple yet incredibly precious moments.

I me beautiful souls and I am so grateful to have met you! When I arrived, I felt and emptiness inside me. I needed to give and share all the love I carry within me with people who truly need it who value it. I will return to France feeling with the tenderness but also grown from this unique adventure. I feel complete now and I’m certain that I will come back one day to continue this beautiful journey.

The ‘VSL’ projects is an incredible family and I deeply admire what you are building here. What made this experience even more special was being fully immersed in local life - sharing everyday moments with local people and meeting in discuss with such open generous souls. To me that’s truly priceless. Trust in Karma and spiritual life is definitely a vision that I will try to spread around me.

Thank you for welcoming us into your home, your family and the project you have built. This experience has left an incredible mark on our souls and or hearts. We hope the patients will do well while waiting for their next treatments!

Janaka, thank you for your life lessons. Thank you for helping us understand and grow in so many ways. Thank you for the thousands of memories we are bringing back to Marseille!

We all hope patients will cross again, thank you for everything.

Thank you so much for letting me stay at your place for the past six weeks. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to volunteer here and to make an impact on the lives of the children.

I have worked on so many different projects, and they all have a special place in my heart. I really appreciate to freedom to create my own activities, such as making bracelets with the kids. Thank you for teaching me about the culture and for answering all of my questions. I have learned so much that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. 

I had an incredible beautiful time and the children and the people of Sambodhi home will always have a special place in my heart. I will never forget this experience.

Where to start? I loved every single part of this amazing adventure. This was my first trip out of Europe. Everything was so new to me. The people, weather, school system, language. But once I started volunteering everything became so simple. The people made this experience the best. I fell in love with this country because of the amazing people that lives here. In the Netherlands can everything be so difficult. But in Sri Lanka, people live day by day. I also learned a lot about myself. I’m so grateful for that.

The volunteer work gave me so many new insights in to working with people with disabilities. The Sambodhi home will stay in my heart for ever. I hope we build towards a better home for these lovely people.

Thank you Janaka, and you’re lovely family for making this adventure unforgettable. I will never forget this experience. I will be back soon, I promise!

Though my visit was short, I am so thankful you let me in to your home and contribute to these projects that you’re running. It feels truly special that I can sit here today, in the same house as my mother was in 11 years ago. All the stories I’ve been told from Maria, Anna and Anders, don’t justify how special this volunteering experience is. I’m grateful to have been another side of this wonderful country and what good people can do for a good cause. I look forward to seeing you again. Hopefully with my Mother.

Thank you so much for making my time in Sri Lanka so memorable and enjoyable. It has been such an amazing opportunity and as my first trip away from home, I started of nervous and uncertain but as soon as I arrived I felt so welcomed. I will miss all of the projects – they have all been such a good experience. I will especially miss the Sambodhi home and the lovely people who live there. It made me appreciate everything I have at home and was really eye opening and I will definitely be back soon!    

It was such an amazing experience. I’ve learned a lot about the culture and the people and I can’t wait to tell my family and friends about everything. At first, everything felt so strange but it switched to being normal in a split second. The last week made me realize how much I appreciate everything I’ve done here.

I’m truly so thankful for this opportunity and especially your hospitality. I’m going to miss the people, te beaches, the children I’ve teach, everyone at the Sambodhi home, the fun I had during the dinner with the other volunteers and Koeli & YOU Janaka.

I’m so happy to chose to do this volunteer program and I will never forget this experience. Sri Lanka has a special place in my heart and I can’t wait to visit again. 

It is hard to believe the 2 months here are over. It feels like we arrived yesterday, but at the same time I experienced so much and made me so many memories. So thank you so much for everything. From organizing our placement to making us feel safe and welcome in your home.

Out nursing internship at the hospital pushed me out of our comfort zones in the best way possible. It has thought us so much about healthcare in a different country. We are going back home with a lot of news knowledge. We’ve learned a lot professionally but even more importantly, we’ve learned so much about ourselves, new insights, different ways of working and above all the strength and warmth of the people here.

To Janaka, thank you so much for your care, your kindness, and for making this place feel like home. Your hospitality and openness made us stay incredibly special and we will never forget it.

Sri Lanka will always hold a special place in our hearts. Thank you again for the beautiful moments, the lessons, the laughter and for sharing your culture with us.

My time here has meant more to me than I ever expected. Working with the children and getting to know their families has been one of the most special parts of this experience. Their trust, smiles and the tiny moments of progress are memories I will honestly carry with me. I have gained a lot of confidence as a speech therapist. I will always be grateful for this.

Thank you Janaka, for welcoming me in to the program, for your guidance, and for creating a place where you can learn with care. You have shown me a lot of guidance and trust in my abilities.

I’m really grateful for every person I’ve met, and for the kindness I felt these 8 weeks. Sri Lanka is a beautiful country with beautiful people. As I head home, I am taking with me all the lessons warmth and connection I found here.

I can’t thank you enough for this experience of a lifetime! Thank you Janaka for letting me love your beautiful country. You have shaped the person I will be for the next of my life.

To the projects; to all the baby turtles I held, to the children I played, hours of games with and dances with, to the English class who wrote dozens of notes saying how much they loved us… you guys have made me smile more that I knew was possible and showed me how much I want to help and be around wonderful souls like yours. But the place that I have a special spot in my heart, the Sambodhi home. Meeting these wonderful people and spending time in their home has made me feel every emotion under the sun.

My perspective of life has been changed by seeing joy surround people with so little. I will miss these guys, Sambodhi home, I love you.

Janaka, you have created a home for me, where I have met friends who have become my family. I admire how much you give to the people around you, you’ve got the kindest heart. I can’t explain how much I will miss everything about this place. But Sri Lanka, I will be back.

Thank you for giving us the chance to live this wonderful experience. Despite our poor English we managed to integrate very well. Thank you for welcoming us with open arms and for always being so kind and helpful with all the volunteers. We felt like having a father here, someone who cared and guided us with Love.

You are a wonderful person, and the World needs more people like you. Thank you for everything you do, for all your projects, and for helping people. We will always remember your generosity and all the moments we shared. This will be an experience I will carry with me for the rest of our lives and we hope that one day we will be able to tell our children about it.

You have a big heart and a dedication that inspires everyone who meets you. We will tell our loved ones about this experience, because we want them to know about the beauty, kindness and humanity we have witnessed here.

Thank you for everything, we will never forget you, this experience and all the wonderful people we met because of it.

Just as you said, we started out nervous and unsure of what was waiting for us the next 7 weeks. But just after the first week we felt much more capable and ready to be with the patients. We experienced not only the patient’s progress but our own as well. From creative exercises to small talk about everything in life through that we saw a whole different culture, way of living and the unique mindset. Meeting patients in both laughter and tears has been an experience in itself.

We start by thanking you and your family for welcoming us in to your home. Thank you for always considering our many requests and our wellbeing. We always felt safe in your home, thank you for “holding a hand over us” (Danish saying of caring)

We will always remember this experience because of you and this project.

When we were planning our travels, we had thought it would be a great learning experience for us to do some volunteering as a family.

Meet you, and coming here, has far exceeded our expectations of what we thought we would get from the experience! You have been so welcoming and generous, not just with making sure we have everything we need but with your time and your wonderful life experience stories. We have all thoroughly enjoyed learning more about Sri Lank, the incredible work you have done and continuing to do, and about the Buddhism philosophy.

Personally, I have found the whole experience a wonderful lesson in the power of human connection, from working in the schools, chats over dinner + meals with the other volunteers and yourself.

Thank you Janaka and the rest of your lovely team for everything and I think the children will definitely be hungry for many more experience like this again!

Thank you very much for this fantastic experience. It was truly eye opening. We hope we were able to help a bit and sung love by your wonderful people. Sri Lanka will remain in our hearts for the years to come.

Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity! I have learned a lot about different cultures and loved seeing the children so happy be at school even though they have not much. Its really put things in perspective and has been so enriching to experience this. I loved working / volunteering in the school and seeing how the schools here and being able to be a part of that.

We really appreciate the smooth running of everything and the opportunity to discover your projects and this beautiful part of Sri lanka. It was a lot of fun being with the children in the nursery school – all of whom are very excited to be in school than grumpy older students in England. We were very touched by the visit to the Sambodhi home too and it was a privilege to spend time with the people there.

Thanks for looking after us, and specially making Charlotte’s first volunteering opportunity so positive

Its been 3 weeks since we came here. It was an amazing ride, full of ups & downs. Since the first step we fell in love with the nature. The feeling of standing above the tea plantations was such an incredible moment which you can’t transform in to a picture. Its in our hearts.

Even bigger shock was when we step in to rehabilitation centre for a first time. We felt sorry and sad about the patients and their stories. How one moment can change your whole life. Our only thought was – such a tragedy. But when we saw all the love, patience, and kindness what the family gives to their relatives and how much they care even about other people, it touched our hearts.

And when we thought there is nothing else what could surprise us, we got hit. First the rehabilitation centre, then hospital and at the end the Sambodhi house. It filled us with such a gratitude and we are so glad we could be part of this even for the short time we spent here and got the opportunity to share these heart melting moments with all the beautiful people.

We would like to say one big THANK YOU for everything you did for us and also your staff. Some part of Sri Lanka will always stay in us and we hope that some part of us will stay in Sri Lanka 

It is for the third time now that I write your book. I’ve been thinking for a long time about what to say. Still I’m not sure how words can express my gratitude. I am forever grateful for what you’re done for me. I feel like every time I come here, I find a little bit of peace for myself.

Like you said, I can see a different in the people that I helped here. Even if it’s only a smile and good talks, I love to have given them joy and hope in their lives. No money or other material things could ever replace this.

This time I will keep my message shorter because I know that I will be back once again. Thank you so much for everything. Words fail to express my gratitude.

Love you always

I don’t think words can describe what an amazing time I had. I came without expectations and couldn’t have wishes for a better experience. My three months in Sri Lanka changed me as a person in a positive way. I fell in love with the country, the people, the animals and everything that comes with it.

A special place in my heart goes to the sweet children and the teachers at the nursery school. I want to thank you for everything and all the wise words you shared with me. Your house feels like my home. I will never forget you

It was my first time volunteering, First time in Asia and I could have never been prepare myself for this. This was one of the most enriching experience of my life and I really feel life this journey made me grow. I’m going back to France with my heart full of knowledge and Love.

First of all the opportunity that we had to be able to see so many projects and to be a part of it was truly amazing. I was really happy to be able to see how people are working with people in need and how things are so different because of the culture. I’m also so thankful of the passion that you put in your projects and the way you pass it to us. You have such a beautiful way to see and perceive life and I was so glad to be able to receive it.

What also made this trip unforgettable was the people that I met starting from the other volunteers, to the teachers at the schools and a lot of other persons. The bonds that I created is such a fast way was something I never experienced before.

Thank you again so much Janaka or the time that you put for each of your projects, you make the world a better place for sure! 

Just a few words to tell you how thankful I am for my journey here. Thanks to you Janaka, I’ve lived one of the most beautiful experience of my life! You are an incredible person and you can make the world a better place.

You were always here for us and always here to answer any questions and talk about everything with so much with person. I’m so lucky that I met you, I’ve definitely going to remember this and YOU for the rest of my Life. I know this experience gonna change me and you give me hope that there is still people with a beautiful heart like yours in this world.

I could thank you thousand times and it won’t be enough. Therefore, once again thank you so much for everything!

It has been an incredible enriching experience, both physically and mentally. I learned so much about physiotherapy but also about LIFE, PEOPLE, VALUES… It was positively surprised by how the whole project works, how the hospital operates, how families take care of their sick relatives and support them during rehab, it really touched me.

I’m especially grateful for the people I’ve met here. It truly felt like “Summer Camp” here or even more like family. I felt warmly welcomed from the very first hug you gave me.

I sincerely hope this won’t be my last time here in Sri Lanka. I’d love to help this project more visible back home in SLOVAKIA so that more students can come here in the future. I believe that they will not only help develop this amazing initiative but they will also leave with beautiful memories just like ME.

Eliska Smarkonova

Slovakia

27^th July 2025

A huge thank you for these amazing weeks! Thank you for welcoming us to your home with so much kindness, vibes, and generosity. From the very beginning, we felt comfortable, and your place quickly became our home!

Living with volunteers, sharing meals, laugh and late night talks made this experience even more special. It is not always easy to make people feel at home so far from their own country but you really managed to do that. The weeks spent by your side taught us so much about ourselves. We were grown as persons because of you and your kindness. We are returning to France with a heart full of beautiful memories and a new amazing family of Volunteers!  

We will keep this in our hearts for a long time, the people, the moments the energy and everything we learned here.  Thank you again a thousand times for giving us the chance to live the experience of a lifetime.   

Thank you for everything, we learned a lot of things here. We loved working with CUTE turtles and the atmosphere was very warm. We know how lucky we are in our home country, when we saw for the first time the people in SAMBODHI home, I felt so sorry for them but now we know that you can be happy with nothing. The smiles on their faces when we were coming in is precious.

 We really hope this organization will last as long as possible to help the people who need some love and to offer the opportunity for teenager to live life all around the world.

 From all what we saw, your place is all about shaking & shaking good moments, good discussions, shaking wisdom and Love. For the last one is the most important, and in your house we gave and received a lot of love! From the turtle work to the Sambodhi house and passing by the construction project, we could learn a lot and to meet a lot touching people, we felt pretty fortunate about this. This experience will be remembered as well as the people who made it possible.

Thank you for everything the past 3 weeks. Thank you for making me feel at home here and for all the life lessons you have given me. I couldn’t have asked for a better place and a person to stay with on my first travel alone. I hope I can come back here sometimes soon. These past few weeks have been some of the best and most educational weeks of my life so far.

Thank you for everything, I will remember this for rest of my life.

Thank you so much for opening your home & your heart to me & my kids. From the first conversation I knew this was going to be the perfect fit for us and exactly what we each needed on this along our journey.

I truly cherished my time at the school and with the turtles and I am so happy to have given this opportunity to my children to see the world from a different lens. That was only possible because of the hard work and dedication you have done for so many years. It was an honour to work for your project and I hope to do so again.

Thank you for welcoming me into your home and into your projects. I have loved teaching the children and watching them grow even in the few weeks that I have been here. Thank you for being so kind and going out of your way for the others around you, myself included. Your kindness is much appreciated. I have also enjoyed the peaceful environment you provide at your home and sharing many meals with you and the volunteers. Definitely won’t forget the experience.

First of all I’d like to say thank you. But actually even that’s not enough. I spent an incredible month in a completely unfamiliar environment and yet I felt completely safe and at home. And that’s manily thanks to a wonderful man named ‘Janaka’.

Physiotherapy means so much for me, I liked it every day and I am grateful to life that I had the privilege to show someone on the other side of the world that their life can be a little better, even if they may not be so lucky. I take away not only an amazing experience but more importantly a much greater perspective on life. I wish everyone around me to have in their lives a little of the kindness and smiles of the Sri Lankan people, the strengths and determination of my patients, the happiness of Sri Lankan elephants, the smell of the Sri Lankan cinnamon but most of all at least piece of Janaka’s huge heart.

When I first heard about your project it was 4 years ago when covid became a thing and my plans changed. I never would have guessed that I’d meet so many amazing people here. We have had some great laughs together and support as well from each other. You did an amazing job creating a world like this.

Seeing you the first day, waiting on us to come to your home made me feel so welcome, there’s something about you that just warms up your heart instantly.

Sri Lankan people were really out of this world. You know working here as a physiotherapists was so easy even though not every case was a piece of cake, because I’ve never seen so motivated and grateful patients as I have seen here in Sri Lanka. I hope the project touches more people and the situation will be better. I’m proud to be part of this and I had love to see it thrive. This experience changed me as a person for better, words might never describe how happy I was with you and the other volunteers.

It was such an incredible experience! Thank you for everything. I learned so much by coming here, it was a truly enriching experience and I can never thank you enough. You are a very generous man and you will remain engraved in my memory. Continue to be the man you are and make this house vibrate with all the good energies you send.

Among all the “thank yous” you receive, I am adding one more, mine.

Thank you for supporting so many projects to help this beautiful country and thank you for welcoming us into your home. I will always be grateful for what I experienced here, the people are incredibly kind. I loved the project with the turtles, taking care of them but I enjoyed ever more meeting all the people I worked with and s=who shared their daily lives with me during this short month. I will never forget the smiles on their faces and the lessons learned here.

Janaka, you are without any doubt the most inspiring person I have ever met. I want to thank you for the kindness, hospitality & generosity during my stay. It’s difficult to summarise in a few lines everything that this trip had brought me and how grateful I am to have met you.

To begin, I couldn’t expect a better experience than the one I had. It’s the most beautiful trip in my life. I’m leaving grown up and thanks to all the stories you told us, I will remember it every time there little moments of down.

Thank you for always making us feel at home and for treating us like your daughters, thank you allowing us to live this unique experience.

When I booked this trip, I didn’t expect to live a really great experience like this. All the people I met especially you Janaka were so amazing. Kind with me. I was at 8000km from my home but I immediately felt like home in Sri Lanka. Thank you so much for your kindness and your hospitality. I really liked help and play with the kids, I will never forget them. I hope I made them happy and they really liked my support because without noting they made me very glad and I have a lot of memories in my head…Janaka, your life stories inspired me so, I will try to engage me in France. Also when I will come back I hope to bring with y future boyfriend or even husband. I am going to miss you so much!

We wanted to express our sincere gratitude for welcoming us to your home during our humanitarian trip to Sri Lanka with the children of the nursery school. Your generosity and hospitality were of great help contributed to making our stay meaningful and unforgettable.

Your home was a heaven of peace where we felt at home, and your warm welcome was a source of inspiration for us throughout the trip. We want to thank you again for your generosity and support. It was an honor to share this trip with you and we hope to have the opportunity to see you again soon.

Jade & Jeremy

Montpellier - France

May 2024

How to begin, So many things to say. This travel came in a particular moment of my life. I wanted it because I wanted to go out of my confort zone. I was quite lost and I felt like i needed to find myself deeper and understand better who I am. The trip has been a success, I learnt to live by myself and I discovered new things about me. I feel more confident now and it was really all I needed, gain confidence. Thanks to you Janaka and other volunteers also I feel really better now. 

Your personal history and all the stories you shared with us is a real richness for me. I will remember all my life the speach time, dinner everytime, it also helped me to improve my English so I am very glad. Thank you to learn Sri Lankan culture to me, about places, people, habits, you have been the best host I could have met. Big culture, interesting thoughts, but most of all the kindest person you are. You were always been here when we needed you like a father, you always organized the best trips and activitiess for us,so thank you to have keep us safe. I feel I have a second family now in Sri Lanka. Thank you for such a life lesson during all this journey. Your home made me feel like mine so thank you for that. I wasn't planning to comeback but now I'm attached to you, the place, Seth and even Koeli so I think I will comeback to visit and see you again. I'm gonna miss you and this lifestyle, but it has been one of the best experience of my life. Volunteering like that helped me a lot inside. Thank you, Thank you and Thank you again for everything. 

Love you and I hope I will see you see you soon. Take Care Janaka.

The first day I came here I already felt like I was going home. The picture of your family and welcoming texta made me feel so welcome. The day I stept in to your home for the first time was the most welcoming I have ever felt. Every day you were there at dinner and only a text message away. You have teached me so much, you have changed me for the better, made me feel happy and gave me the oppertunity to meet the most beautiful people I have ever met. 
You gave me the chance to explore outside of my comfort zone, discover new emotions, and how it feel to have pure emotions. You have a beautiful project and a familt. I'm happy that I can be apart off that. We worked together to make the first step in the special needs project and I couldn't have done it with anyone else. 
Thank you for everything, for teaching me, having me and wlecoming my parents, for making me truly happy and for making me feel at home. 

Its crazy to think that 8 weeks ago we only knew you as our coordinator for our internship, but now you are much more that that. 
Thank you for opening your home for us and making us feel safe. We are very grateful for the way you have been taken care of us and the way you have been always treated us like family. 
Thank you for all your amazing stories and life lessons, we will never forget and we hope to bring it with us home to Denmark! We will miss all the late night talkes and if its okay with you, we would love to be on facetime for dinned once in a while. 
Thank you for imtroducing us for all "our" beloved patients, we wish them all the best and feel very secure leaving their rehabiltation in yours and future physios hands. Feel free to give us updates when Arosh is driving the tuk tuk again, when Indika is walking down the street or when Chaturani is baking again. We believe in all of them, Kelum, Arosh, Indika,, Jagath, Mulin, Hema, Nishantha & Chaturani, our patients we did physiotherapy. 
Thank you for planning all the trips unforgettable, for all the amazing food specially the banana bread, for all your guidance and advices and for always making us feel like you have the time in the world for us even you are a very basy man! 

When we decided to take a one month holiday beginning of 2024, we wanted to do a meaningful journey, mixing with the local people, bringing our contributions (even small) to local projects, getting implied in social and cultural life. When we discovered the Sea tutles conservation project in Sri Lanka, We immidiately felt called by this mission. It was an unique oppertunity to discover Asia for me as Lola had already gone in Bali & Cambodia before. But also to contribute to the protection of marine environment which is of primary importance to us. 
The WhatsApp call we had with Janaka a few weeks before coming confirmed we had made the right choice. Janaka, you were extra ordinary with us from the beginning. We will never forget these 2 weeks spent here at your volunteer house where we unf met fabulous people, incredibly matured to their age, (I would have never done a thing like this when I was in their age) with who we spent unforgettable moments at the projects, beach, lakes, safaris and here at the volunteer house. 
Janaka we infinitely thank you for what made for us, but more important to what you brought to us. When we came here, I had a lot of anxiety from my life, job, family and future. being here at your contact with the project and all the other volunteers, was a real treatment. It helped us resetting our minds for a more peaceful way. On the 02nd Day in Galle, I was called by the Japanese Peach Temple of Rumassala. From this moment, everything started to change in my mind. We discovered Buddhist culture something I came for and then we had this talk with you about the Tsunami, the buddhist way of living and the meaning of celebrations to Buddha. It all felt like a therapy for us, exceeding all we have expected before coming here. 
Your inspiring life, your kindness, your tricks for meditation or rewinding and relaxing the good things of each day were like the tools I was missing to be more peaceful with ourselves and in our lives. This has inestimable value, therefore we will never say enough . Thank you for this. 

Six years ago in 2018, I was drawn to Sri Lanka. I dont know why, but I felt I was suppost to be here. Then I was very young at 18 but it had a big impact on who I wanted to become as a person. After I returned home 6 years ago I lived my life and life lived me. A lot of things happened to me and I fell ill with my mental health problems. In the darkest of my days, suddenly I receive a message from an Old friend Janaka. 
He asked me how I am doing and we talked about his family. This little and may be insignificant message gave me hope.  It reminded me of a timeI felt truly happy, at peace and useful. I tried to hold on to this feeling. The feeling of being able to make the world a better place, to help people and make a change. It was hard but it gave me back some of my self-worth. For about an year Sri Lanka and Janaka were the things I thought about when I felt down mentally. And slowly I started to have hope also with the help of my fellow therapist and close ones. Its been a really hard battle, and still is. 
But coming here again and feeling the Love that you Janaka put into the world and into me I felt that my heart and soul are healed a lot more. May be your message meant to me, may be it was a just a coincidence, we will never know. What I do know is that I can't thank you enough for it. Thank you for your message for the love, for the dinner talks, for everything Janaka, you are in my heart forever and I consider you as my family from the deepest of my heart. Thank you for everything. I love you, do take care.

I don't know where to start, I'm lost for words! Its hard to sum up the 6 weeks of my life in a few lines. So I will start with the simplest Thank You. 

Thank you for welcomig me as your daughter, for opening your door to me, but also your heart. 

Thank you for sharing with me so many stories and life lessons that helped me grow and will continue to help me through out my life. Thank you for introducing me to your culture, passing on your Philosophy and allowing me to visit your beautiful country. Thank you for allowing me to live the most beautiful experience of my life. 

Thanks to you, I finally felt at peace and useful. This mission has given meaning to my life and made me experience emotions and feeling that I had never felt before.  

For the first time in my life, I felt pround of myself and what I do. Thank you for giving me the oppertunity to work with you on the orphanage project. I have grown from it. I will never forget the first time we went to visit the place, the long days painting, and the satisfaction of finally being able to welcome the children in a place that is now very familiar to me. Thank you for everything you do, for all the people which special needs but also for us all the volunteers. 

Thanks to you I have been able to meet some incredible people and create memories that I will never forget. I too will have many storiest to tell to my loved ones for years to come and you will be one of them. 

I truly believe you are the most beautiful I have ever met in my entire life. I hope everyone cross your path one day. In any case, I want you to know that you have left your footprint forever in my heart and on my arm! I am ready to catch a new life, and I hope to see you again in it. In the meantime, I will be back to see you here. 

Thanks for everything, Love you so much

I never can find the right words to say Goodbye, it is a very particular exercise in style for me. I've been very attentive to your way of life and everything you have tought me about your country, your way of life... your history. I'm impressed by your courage, your kindness, that I may never find again at home. 

You are a force of nature that we need and even if there will never be two like you, I start to believe again humanity. Your beliefs are honourable and as you have pointed out, European people should take an example from the east side of the globe.

Thank you for taking care of me like a father "Mon Papa Sri Lankais". The most tender and touching gesture a person can have towards me is to be patient and caring with me, and that's exactly what you have been with me for two weeks of my stay. Thank you for changing me, thank you for your after dinner stories. I will miss your messages forever. No matter what happens, I will be happy anywhere and you will be everywhere with me, deep in my heart.

Respectfully and with all my love

I really appreciate everything you did for me and everything you do for people to make their life better, to ease their pain and help them. You are one of the most generous and kind people I've ever met and probably will ever meet. I am really grateful for everything I could experience here, for everything you gave me your time eventhough you had work to do nd for every story you shared with me. I really think I will remember it for life. You encourged me to be  kinder person and eventhough I've spent here just a little time, I really believe it changed me for betterThank YOU!

And also a big thank you for making me feel here at home, safe and welcomed. I was a little bit scared to come all the way here alone, but you're made it all so easy. I feel very lucky that I ended up here with you when I decided to come to Sri Lanka. 

You are a very hardworking person and I really wish you from the bottom of my heart all the best to you and your family. I feel very lucky and grateful I had the chance to come here and meet you and actually pretty sad I have to leave. 

Thank you so much for everything, I am really looking forward seeing you next time.

Love

As our stay draws to a close, I wantedv to say a Big thank you for everything you have done for us. From day one, you welcomed us with such kindness, always available and attentive to our needs. Thanks to you, this experience has been not only pleasant but also deeply enriching. 

Partticipating in our renovation project has been a truly gratifying adventure. Seeing our work everyday after day and imagining the children of the school enjoying this space we renovated really touhed us. It is an incredible feeling to know that we have been able to contribute to something useful and lasting.

Your presence and support throughout this adventure made it all possible. I leave with unforgettable memories and a loads of gratitude. Thanks again and again and I hope to see you soon.

I want to thank you from the botttom of my heart for welcoming me into your home for the past three months. Your Hospitality and generousity made my stay in Sri Lanka impeccable. Your friendship and kindness made this trip a unique experience and I can't thank you enough for everything you did for me. I will cherish this memories and hope to see you again in the future. 

Dear Janaka, there is a lot of amazing souls & stories going through your house, your life... 
A lot of hard work that you have done and a lot of waiting to be done. I saw just a little piece of it and I am proud of everyone I met here. 
But there is one person who you should be proud of the most and it is YOU. Don't forget that everthing you do is as amazing as piecefull quite day you can spend with yourself. If you ever will look at the painting from me and remember us... anf you will feel that it's the right time... do me a favor. Turn off your phone for one day. The world will wait for you . We can wait. Go for a walk to see a sunset and grab a good food or drink with you. Breath in and Breath Out. Remember of the love you are receiving just be. 
You thought us how to start a meditation. Now you can try my meditation. I wish you all the very best in the world. YOU ARE SPECIAL. 

I just want to thank you for everthing you have done for me, other volunteers and your country. I expected that it would be an amazing experience, but I wouldn't even think that I would connect with our patients so much. It showed me how lucky I am that I could live in my country in Czech republic and that I should appreciate more all the things we have. Because when saw how grateful al the patients were for so little that we offered them, I realize that the most precious thing you can give people here is your time and honest intention to help them.

I didn't realize how much I would connect with these people and how much joy it will bring me when their conditions gets better. Even though it sometimes was a little thing. I am gonna miss it here and hope we will see each other again.

Dear Janaka, The others have written so much but I don't know what else to say than Thank YOU so much for what you gave me and what you give everry volunteer that comes to your place for volunteering. 

This experience is and I will forever stay in my mind as one of the best moments in my life. i and everone else will never thank you enough. You are one of the best person I will ever meet! 

Where to begin with? I can't easily imagine puttig into words how i feel about the [ast month. I would probably start by thank you for everyhting, your kindness, your warmth, and your way of making everyone. Not only feel welcomed here but also at peace. Coming back here I couldn't help myself to think that nothing could match my experience from last year, but let me tell you that I was wrong. Going back allowed me to get to know yout country and its people evenmore and again to have my own marks questioned. This country and more specially the people I met will forever follow me and the lessons I've learned throughout these past two years will always appear as a guideline whenever I feel lost or overwhelmed. 

I truly hope that we will meet again, here or in France because i sincerely would like to spend more time talking to you and listening to all your amazing stories which are always filled with wisedom and inspiring lessons. 

As I told you before, I will keep this a special place in my heart for you and the experience you have allowed me to live. Thank you for everything, I wish you all the very best. 

Dear Sri Lanka, Thank you for accepting me into your home, for allowing me to discover your beautiful culture and the landscape... Galle, Mirissa, Adam's peak, Sigiriya, Ella and so many other wonderful places. I hope oneday I will return with my mum to show her this show of diversity and this population as welcoming, see you soon may be. 
Dear Projects, It was an unforgettable experience that will stay in my heart forever! The Orphanage, Sambodhi Home, Turtles, hospital and especially the girls home was a real life lesson. The girls and their smiles will miss me a lot. 
I am so grateful to have meet so many warm people, built beautiful and strong friendships, and to have worked together, hand in hand. 
Dear Family, thank you for the welcoming and Dear Koeli thank you for all your good energy and for the Hanna, the dance and Karaoke show Hahaha,,,. You are my best DRAMA QUEEN EVER! Miss You,,,, 
And Finally Dear Janaka, Thank you SO MUCH!! because without youn none of this would have been possible. Thank you to be everytime here to answer of many questions and needs. For share your home with us and to help all of the projects. 
I am as happy to have been able to live this adventure at only 19 years. Sri Lanka will be always in my heart. I'm little be sad to to leave earlier because of the Covit 19, two and half months gone really fast!

Thanks for giving us the oppetunity to be part of the volunteering program you run. We had the chance to work on different projects (Orphanage, Muslim School, nursing school & hotel staff teaching English) and are very glad of the time we have spent on each experience. We will purticularly keep in mind kid's willingness to learn, their motivation despite difficult life background and their beautiful smiles.
It was a pleasure to spend time at your house too with the ther volunteers, yourself, and your family as well as the lovely care taker Douglas'. We are off today for another 3 months travel but will definitely keep these three weeks as key memories of our trip.

This went really quick... I wanna thank you for everything in the last three weeks. When I came in your house, it felt directly as home. I really nejoyed it that I had my own room and bathroom I haven't had that for last 5 months. When everthing is more quite, I will come back soon to finish all the projects and travel to this beautiful country. 

We are so sad that we have to leave so soon. We wanted to do so much more here. Thank you for respecting our choice and thank you for having us. We got the chance to get to know Sri Lanka and without your help, Koeli her Hanna, Douglas his guardian, Ashkar and his tuk tuk and your family for lunch and help when Douglas wasn't here, this wouldn't have been possible!

Thank you all for your kindness, help & hospitality. It was my first time in Sri Lanka and I liked it very much. It was a great pleasure to work with the people of Sombodhi home. They are always so greatful & happy with the little things. I learned a lot from them. I hope I did bring a little joy in their lives.

Thank you so much for providing us with the oppertunity to spend time with the wonderful residents of Sambodho home. Memories of our times with them, their warmth, & friendship will always remain with us. 
We also thoroughly enjoyed meeting Mr.Sujeewa at the cooperative nurses training school & helping him teach English to his wonderful students. 
We think you are doing an absolutely incredible job in supporting so many different organizations. Without your efforts and those of the volunteers that you work so hard to attract to the projects, so many people would not be in the better position that they are in today. Keep up the goor work, but try to take a rest every now and then! 

Thank you Janaka & family for making me feel so wlecome in your home, you gone above and beyond. Janaka it amazed me how much work you taken on and how you care so much about each project, trying to help as much as you can. 
Volunteering at the orphanage is definitely an experience, I will never forget. Thank you for all your support while I've been there. I feel I made a small difference to the children was with and their teachers. 
A special thank you for my pink loving friend Koeli for my amazing entertainment on my last night. You are a very good dancer!. 

Thank you Janaka very much for all. It was an amazing experience. Thanks for your welcome. The Physio Rehabilitation center project was really interesting and so valuable for our future work as physiotherapists. 
We discovered a country and a culture are so different than France. Sri Lanka is a good country with beautiful landscape and all the Sri Lankan people are so nice with us. We will always remember of this experience all our life.

Janaka, thank you so much for the past two weeks working with these volunteer projects, for your incredible kindness, and al the experience I've gained in Sri Lanka. 
Before i came here, I wasn't sure what to expect, I was travelling alone and didn't know everything would work out once I got here, the warmth the entire household provided is more than I could ever asked for, thank you. 
The experience I've had at the girls home, turtles project and the nursing school are things I will always carry with me. We will stay in touch and hopefully I will see all of you guys again soon. 

Thanks for giving us the oppetunity to be part of the volunteering program you run. We had the chance to work on different projects (Orphanage, Muslim School, nursing school & hotel staff teaching English) and are very glad of the time we have spent on each experience. We will purticularly keep in mind kid's willingness to learn, their motivation despite difficult life background and their beautiful smiles.

It was a pleasure to spend time at your house too with the ther volunteers, yourself, and your family as well as the lovely care taker Douglas'. We are off today for another 3 months travel but will definitely keep these three weeks as key memories of our trip. 

Two weeks may be too short for volunteer work but things I learnt here more than two weeks. It is really good to help others and learn from others. Thank you for providing us with such an incerdible opportunity. 

As you know happiness starts when we are able to give to others without expectations or awards or else. I'm grateful to have had this opportunity through all the projects you are taking care. The stay was great thanks to you, your family and all the other volunteers I met. Janaka you are a wonderful person with a great heart, our world, needs many many people like you.

Sri Lanka has a special place in my heart since 1991, and will always do. I love this country and its people and I am so happy to feel peace now here. Smile was on my face from morning to night and I received so many great smiles back, filling me with an incredible energy. Thank you for everything I could experience.