Support a Student, Strengthen a Community

Dear Amazing Supporters,

We are absolutely thrilled to share an update with you on the incredible impact your donations have made through Tea Leaf Trust in the tea estates of Sri Lanka. Your support has been instrumental in igniting hope and transforming the lives of individuals and communities who have been disproportionately affected by the economic crisis.

Firstly, we want to express our gratitude for your generosity and unwavering commitment. It is because of donors like you that we are able to bring education and empowerment to the most marginalized communities. Your contributions have helped us make a real difference, and we couldn't be more grateful.

We are thrilled to report that our centres are oversubscribed, with over 75% of the participants being female. This highlights the strong desire within these communities, despite the challenges, for education and personal growth. Your support has enabled us to provide opportunities that empower women and girls to break free from the cycle of poverty and realize their full potential.

Our recent emotional health survey has shed light on the challenges faced by our beneficiaries. An alarming 74.2% of respondents revealed that they have problems in their lives that they do not feel confident to deal with, and 58.1% feel out of control most of the time. What's even more distressing is that 20% of Tea Leaf Trust students reported engaging in purposeful self-harm within the two weeks prior to the survey. These statistics underscore the critical need for ongoing support and resources to address the emotional well-being of our students. Your donations have played a vital role in providing them with the necessary guidance and support to navigate their challenges and find hope.

In the first six months of their main diploma programmes, our 391 students have achieved remarkable milestones. They put on awe-inspiring talent shows that were attended by 1,200 community members, spreading joy and inspiration throughout the tea estates. Additionally, we have had the privilege of working with 21 dedicated interns who have provided invaluable mentorship and support to our students. As I write, the main diploma students are starting our Children's English Programme, which will see over 4,000 primary-aged children accessing free English classes for the rest of the year - it develops the confidence, language and leadership skills of the student-teachers and shows them their role in improving their communities at the same time.

Through our Basic English programme, we have reached 121 young people who are accessing education part-time on weekends. Furthermore, we have trained 24 government English teachers, empowering them to improve their English proficiency and enhance their teaching methods, ultimately benefiting their own students.

Our self-help groups have made a significant impact on improving children's rights through women's empowerment. With 400 women and 768 children involved, these groups are creating lasting change and a brighter future for the entire community.

Finally, we would like to share an inspiring case study that showcases the transformative power of education. Danushiya, a determined and resilient student from Waldemar Estate in Udapussellawa, has overcome numerous challenges and limited resources to pursue her dreams. Despite walking 5 kilometres each day to reach school and shouldering great responsibility within her family, Danushiya's commitment to education remains unwavering. With the support of Tea Leaf Centre Udapussellawa, she has grown academically and personally, and she is well on her way to securing better employment opportunities to uplift her family from poverty.

Your continued support is crucial in enabling us to light the flame of hope in the lives of individuals like Danushiya. Together, we can empower more students, create lasting change, and build a brighter future for these marginalized communities who bring us our wonderful cuppas.

Once again, we extend our heartfelt appreciation for your incredible generosity and belief in our mission. With your continued support, we can continue to ignite hope and make a meaningful impact in the tea estates of Sri Lanka.

With deepest gratitude,

Tim, Tea Leaf Trust Team

Links:

• Bernard Sinniah shares his thoughts on his visit to a TLT Cenre
• A student shares about teaching children for the 1st time
• One of our management team talks about letting youth lead

Vanakum, Ayubowan and Hello!

I hope you are doing well wherever you are in the world.

I’m popping into your inbox today with an update on our Support a Student, Strengthen a Community fundraising campaign which took place from July 13 - August 31 2022.

The campaign was in response to the devastating economic crisis that continues to ravage Sri Lanka and allowed us to raise essential funds for our students, so they could complete their Diploma in 2022 without causing additional financial stress for their families.

Thanks to your support and generosity, 198 of our students completed their studies and graduated from the Main Diploma in December 2022.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is still suffering from the economic crisis, and the road to recovery is long. As a result we are seeing a continued need amongst many of our students for additional financial help and future funds to this page will be used to provide that support.

2023 brings a new school year, new students, new teachers and even new Tea Leaf Centres because our professional development and vocational training is in hot demand!

Here’s a couple of highlights from the year so far:

• All of our 2022 graduates were asked to reflect on their year with Tea Leaf, and their reflections made our hearts sing! We’ve included a few in this update.
• On 20th Jan 2023 we officially opened our 4th Tea Leaf Centre in Bogawantalawa in partnership with Maha Foundation. This Centre will support 50 full time students, who will teach 500 young children basic English, and deliver community service projects for over 15,000 community members!
• Tea Leaf Trust is a Sri Lankan youth led charity, so we are proud to share that our staff team now totals 50, the biggest it’s ever been, and 47 out of these 50 are former Tea Leaf students!
• Every year we run an Intensive English Programme (IEP) specifically for tea estate youth who want to do our Main Diploma, but need a little preparation to be ready for the level of study. During IEP the young people gain confidence to learn in an English-speaking environment through team building, ice breaking activities and basic English classes. This is the first time these different ethnic groups have studied together, so IEP becomes a foundation for them to build new friendships and embark on this new journey with hope!

Tea Leaf Trust creates opportunities through education, empowering young people to learn, grow and lead. An educated young person has an incredible positive ripple effect in their tea estate community and beyond!

Your support makes our work possible - thank you!

Please stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest news and updates.

With very best wishes,

Tim on behalf of Tea Leaf Trust

Links:

• Learn more about us
• Follow us on Facebook

Vanakum, Ayubowan and Hello!

I hope you are keeping well!

I'm getting in touch today with a little update on our recent Support a Student, Strengthen a Community fundraising campaign (July 13 - August 31).

The campaign was in response to the devastating economic crisis that continues to ravage Sri Lanka and is adversely affecting people who are already living in extreme poverty in the tea estate communities. Our Tea Leaf students have been impacted greatly by the economic situation, with many being forced to choose between going to school and having food to eat. Our campaign allowed us to raise essential funds for our students, so they could complete their Diploma without causing additional financial stress for their families.

Thanks to your support and generosity, all 206 of our students were matched with a financial supporter and will be able to complete their Diploma this year.

Our campaign also raised an additional $20,000 USD in one-off emergency donations, to be used wherever the need is greatest. Here are some of the ways we’ve used those funds so far:

• Basic living expenses for some of our students and their families who are in critical situations, and have no income at all.
• Elders Home where 8 residents were living off crackers as their usual donors did not have enough money to help them. We’re now providing food for them on a monthly basis until Dec 2022.
• We repaired windows and bought mattresses for a preschool facility in remote tea estates where the windows were broken due to heavy monsoon rain and the children did not have any small mattresses or other resources.
• We bought roof sheets for some of the families of our students. Many families have lost roof sheets in the extreme monsoon rain and estate management did not respond to their requests for repair - despite their legal obligation to maintain properties.
• A block of line rooms was destroyed by fire so we provided necessities as well as emergency rations to those families.

An educated young person has an incredible ripple effect on the rest of the tea estate community! Graduates gain employment off the tea estates, double their income, help to lift their family out of financial hardship and start working towards becoming leaders in their communities to drive positive change. This is especially important now as Sri Lanka struggles with record high inflation and shortages of basic necessities.

Education gives these young people hope - we are so grateful for your support!

Please stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest news and updates.

With very best wishes,

Anusha on behalf of Tea Leaf Trust

Links:

• Learn more about us
• Follow us on Facebook