Sri Lanka:
Connecting Global Health, Culture, and Food

Late May 2017- approximately 2 weeks 

We hear on the news every day about new crises in food production and safety and human health issues. How are issues surrounding food production, human health, and culture related? How are health and food issues in the Global South similar to and different from those we face in the US? How is the globalization of the food system affecting countries in the Global South? What can we learn from Sri Lanka about food and health systems?

Quest Sri Lanka will explore these questions through a 2 week program organized in partnership with the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, Sri Lanka’s oldest and largest non governmental organization. You will dive right into learning firsthand about the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, which is known throughout the world for their holistic community development philosophy and practice, based in Gandhian and Buddhist principles. In addition to a village homestay and volunteer work on Sarvodaya’s organic farm, students will meet with farmers, doctors, and community organizers from partner organizations to learn about the connections of food and health.

Participants will come away from Quest Sri Lanka with greater cultural competency, new understandings about the global food system and public health in the context of a developing country, and lived experience doing community development.

Lush and vibrant wildlife, exotic tropical fruits, pristine beaches that attract surfers around the world, scenic hills spotted with tea plantations, untouched jungles home to wild elephants, boars and peacocks, public buses that resemble mobile casinos complete with flashing disco lights surrounding illuminated religious icons of all faiths. Worldwide the island is known as the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’.

Sri Lanka - Named #1 travel destination for 2013 by Lonely Planet

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In the past, trips have...
- Met with top medical, political and social activists in the area of public health to discuss Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Origin and its impact on local communities 
- Lived in homestays at a local village, learning about family life and working alongside community members on a Shramadana project- the gift of shared labor- by helping improve the village's infrastructure 
- Participated in group meditation sessions at Sarvodaya meditation center 
- Volunteered at Suwa Setha orphanage and nutrition center
- Visited organic farm and health center in Anuradhapura town
- Visited the Temple of the Tooth, one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in the world
- Enjoyed homemade Sri Lankan cuisine 
- Explored an elephant orphanage
- Learned about Sri Lankan religion and culture by visiting multiple Buddhist and Hindu temples 
​- Help feed and release engangered baby sea turtles with the Kosgoda Sea Turtle Conservency Project 

Applications Currently Closed

Cost: approximately $3000, Includes plane tickets, ground transport, lodging, meals, and program fees. Shareholder fundraising available! 

Who can apply?: UW-Madison students and well-qualified applicants from nearby schools

Guides: Bridgette Weber
              Rebecca Neal

Group size: 8-12 total

Deadline: (Updated 12/16)
February 14th, 2017

Applicants are reviewed on a rolling basis, and spots are first-come first-serve, apply today!

Sarvodaya Sri Lanka

"I always envisioned Sri Lanka as a mysterious paradise on the other side of the world. After this trip I realized it was true-except it's no longer mysterious. The villagers during our stay in Bogahapitiya became family I never knew I had and the experience and memories we made together will last a lifetime."