Why Sri Lanka?

Always intrigued by Sri Lanka, a remote island reminiscent of Bali and India rolled into one, I hesitated to visit due to the civil unrest for almost 30 years ending in 2009. Since then the island has been fully accessible and tourism is on the rise. Travel experts say it will likely be the next Bali within 5-10 years. To be able to visit before the rest of the world discovers this exotic gem would be quite the experience... even Marco Polo christened it the "Most Beautiful Island In The World". With endless beaches, mountains, lush jungles, ancient temples, elephant sanctuaries and tea plantations I'm sure I'll agree. The culture is greatly influenced by Buddhist and Hindu traditions and includes eight Unesco World Heritage Sites.

After an InterNations event in late May I decided after some inspiring conversations it was time to go. Over the past two years I've combined my summer travels with volunteer projects abroad which I've found to be very rewarding. For me its the best of both worlds. Not only do I get to visit a new part of the world, I get to see how the local people live and make a small contribution to their community. I come home to San Francisco with a new appreciation and perspective. Its very important to me to see how others live in the world. Living in San Francisco is quite the luxurious bubble in comparison. Yet I often feel those considered less fortunate are often happier. Family means everything to them and they live in the moment enjoying the small things in life. 

To quote Cecile Richards - Work with people who aren't like you, especially folks who've had fewer opportunities than you. They will enrich your life and put the world in perspective. Most important, never turn down an opportunity. There's always going to be a reason to say no: You don't have the right clothes, the right experience, the right connections. Learn to say yes anyway.

I decided to try my luck and google "volunteer graphic design in Sri Lanka" and what do you know... The Malini Foundation appeared on the first line. The founder was in search of a pro bono graphic designer to create a logo and marketing collateral for her startup nonprofit. Amazing. This could not have been a better fit given my love of children's design and interest in the nonprofit sector. Talk about the art of manifesting. Within 24 hours we agreed we were the perfect match to work together. 

The Malini Foundation's goal is to implement the following three programs within the next two years:

1) A unique model to serve talented and gifted orphaned girls

2) Community outreach programs that engage and empower local women leaders to address issues surrounding girls’ education, child marriage, child domestic labor, sexual abuse/ incest etc.

3) A women’s livelihood program that also serves as a self-sustainability effort for the organization, where profits made will be used to run and grow our programs.

Besides utilizing my graphic design skills, I'll be sharing some Bebe Bilingual Language Learning products to teach English during my visit. I will combine an active tour of Sri Lanka with two weeks of onsite volunteer work at the school. 

To date, The Malini Foundation logo is complete and the website design is in production. You can see some of the branding and foundation details here.

I feel very grateful and fortunate for another unique opportunity abroad! Take off is 8/6/14!

Be sure to LIKE The Malini Foundation on Facebook. Your support is appreciated.

And a peek at some of the Bebe Bilingual gifts I'll be bringing...

Thanks StationeryHQ for printing!