Apply to serve Support this trip

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Location

Sri Lanka

Leader

Kirby Phillips
Damian Gunaratne

Estimated Trip Cost

$2595

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Details

***$300 non-refundable deposit is due before any team member is added to a team roster.***

Please note that passports must be valid up to 6 months from your trip return date.

Team Leaders: Kirby Phillips and Dr. Damian Gunaratne

This will be the fourth VIMM trip to Sri Lanka, a small tropical island of 22 million inhabitants off the southern coast of India. Sri Lanka is suffering through an unprecedented economic crisis fueled by the negative impact of the Covid pandemic upon the tourist industry which is the major source of income in Sri Lanka. Inflation of 54% over the past year has led to many changes in the daily lives of Sri Lankans as they struggle with daily power cuts, shortages of fuel and some essential items. There has also been a shortage of some medicines and quality of medical care has been affected. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa recently resigned due to public outcry and was replaced by Prime Minister Wickramisinghe who is now President. Sri Lankans have suffered much, going through a 26-year civil war from 1983-2009 and suffering 46,000 deaths from a catastrophic tsunami Dec. 26, 2004. Many rural areas are poverty stricken and many people lack proper medical care. Buddhism is the major religion followed in Sri Lanka, with 70.2% of the population identifying as Buddhist. Of the remaining Sri Lankan population, 12.6% identify as Hindu, 9.7% identify as Muslim and 6.1% identify as Christian.

The team will be led by Kirby Phillips and medical director, Dr. Damian Gunaratne. This will be Kirby's 25Th VIMM trip. He has led teams to Haiti, Sri Lanka, the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Cameroon. He has also been on International Scripture Blitzes with Gideons International to Peru, Togo, and Sri Lanka.  This will be Dr. Gunaratne's sixth VIMM trip, and the fourth to the country of his parents. The previous trips were in 2017, 2019, and 2023.  He is fluent in the Sinhalese language spoken in Sri Lanka  Dr. Gunaratne and his wife, Alanna, have 3 children and live in Kincardin, Ontario, Canada where he is a family physician/ emergency room physician.

The team will fly out of Atlanta on February 6,2025, and land in the capital city of Colombo. We will spend some time getting acclimatized and packaging medications in preparation for our clinic days. Accommodations will be at the Gran Bolgoda Hotel in Moratuwa.  We will be hosted by Bethel Christian Centre in Piliyindala, a relatively short distance from the hotel.  Sri  Lanka is known for its delicious cuisine and warm hospitality.  We will travel to rural areas, urban areas, and to a children's home to do clinics.  In the clinics, doctors and other medical professionals will see patients, nurses will assist with triage, and non-medical members will offer reading glasses (a huge need in Sri Lanka), assist with the pharmacy, and do other work as needed.  Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, and non-medical helpers are needed.  We will spend one day sightseeing and shopping for souvenirs. The team will fly back to the United States February 16, 2025.

This will be a challenging, but extremely rewarding trip with the opportunity to show the love of Christ in tangible ways to many people who haven't yet experienced Christ's love. Please prayerfully consider joining us in helping those in need in Sri Lanka.

See a video from a recent trip:
https://youtu.be/dAKAu9aAfRA?si=2PM8-_OlA4YgF3r2

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Sri Lanka