Volunteers 2009

Anna Davidovic

My name’s Anna Davidovic, a third year Applied Psychology student from John Snow, Queen’s Campus. At university, my hobbies include cheerleading and badminton!

I am going to Sri Lanka as I feel it will be a cultural and learning experience for me, as well as being a unique and rewarding way to spend my final summer as a Durham student!

Natalie Gordon

My name is Natalie Gordon and I am a third year BA Geography student studying at Durham from Van Mildert College. I developed a particular interest in Sri Lanka during my A Level Geography studies after learning about the physical causes and the social consequences of the 2004 tsunami that affected the region; as well as the countries rich environmental diversity and cultural heritage.

I am very excited to live alongside and learn about the beliefs and customs of the Sri Lanka people who I encounter. I believe in the power of volunteering to provide human support and develop, inspire and motivate people. I hope to produce a cultural show incorporating both a Scottish Ceilidh and Sri Lanka music and dancing to display to the local community

Matt Gray

I’m Matt Gray and I’m studying medicine at Stephenson College. I enjoy playing and making music as well as most sports, especially rowing and football!

Through Project Sri Lanka I want to be able to swap and share cultural differences between Durham and Sri Lanka whilst making people smile.

Georgina Greenwood

My name is Georgina Greenwood and I am a first year Combined Social Science student studying Anthropology, Human Geography, Philosophy and Politics.

I applied for Project Sri Lanka because I want to specialise in Human Geography, particularly in development and Project Sri Lanka would give me invaluable experience into studying a developing country. My hobbies include drama and badminton and lots of music.

Katie Jackson

I’m Katie Jackson and I am a 4th Year Modern Languages student. I really enjoy meeting new people, playing sports and having fun.

I am going to Sri Lanka because I want to learn about another culture and I look forward to being able to make a valuable contribution to the local community.

Rebecca Kuehler

Hi! My name is Rebecca Kuehler and I am a first year law student.

I have many reasons why I want to go to Sri Lanka. First and foremost, it is the urge to travel and experience different communities. I am also interested in Human Rights in developing countries such as Sri Lanka (this fascination motivated me to study law in the first place). Obviously, one of my great loves in life, and one of the things I look forward to the most, is travelling! But I also enjoy reading, music, socialising with my brilliant friends, as well as my favourite (newly discovered) hobby: rowing.

Fiona Maurer

Hi I’m Fiona Maurer and I’m reading Sociology with Law. My interests are reading, playing the clarinet and dancing!

I can’t wait to go to Sri Lanka to learn about the culture and meet such wonderful people! Visiting Sri Lanka would be very rewarding and an opportunity of a lifetime.

I am really, really excited for this summer, something tells me it is going to be absolutely amazing!

Becki Neale

I’m Becki Neale and I work as a professional charity fundraiser and fire artist.

I am in my second year at Castle studying a BA in Theology, focusing on Shamanism and primitive art. I wanted to get involved with the Sri Lanka project as I want to be at the other end of charity work from the finances, to actually be there to make and see the difference rather than just talking and hearing about it. I truly believe in, if you can, you should. So, here I am.

Jack Palmieri

My name is Jack Palmieri and I am a first year student at Durham University studying Natural Sciences, namely Physics, Biology and Maths.

In my spare time I enjoy singing, acting and telling stories. I believe that there is nothing more important in life than communication and I look forward to my time in Sri Lanka as an opportunity to learn from such a new and diverse community.

Ashera Sheikh

My name is Ashera Sheikh and I’m a first-year law student at Josephine Butler College.

I wanted to be a part of the Project Sri Lanka team because I knew that I would bring something to the team by way of my passion and enthusiasm for working closely with communities. I also know that it will help me grow and gain more confidence. In my spare time (a rare occurrence in the life of a law student) I enjoy reading and exercising. I also really enjoy cooking and baking things to share with my friends as it really brings people together.

Aimee Welch

Hi, I am Aimee Welch and a second year geography student from St. Aidan’s College. I am very excited about spending my summer in Sri Lanka, taking part in such a rich cultural experience at the same time as benefiting the local community.

I have done lots of voluntary work previously, and have seen the enormous positive impact it can have on people. I am particularly excited to be part of Project Sri Lanka due to the long-term sustainable change it aims to deliver to communities devastated by the tsunami. I have a passion for the outdoors and sport, particularly football and canoeing. I hope to use my enthusiasm for sport as a way to engage with the local community.

Faye Widdowfield

My name is Faye Widdowfield and I am in my final year studying law at St Cuthbert’s Society.

Through the project, I hope to gain a greater understanding of Sri Lankan culture and make a positive contribution to the community. One of my favourite hobbies is art/crafts so I look forward to teaching, sharing ideas and helping the children feel inspired.