The Tea Leaf Trust is a UK-registered charity (charity number 1123427). Within Sri Lanka, we operate under an umbrella NGO organisation known as Schools for Asia Education Foundation (SAEF). This is an NGO that was registered by the founders of Beacon Hill Academy (see below), who kindly agreed to allow us to use SAEF as our umbrella NGO, in order for the Tea Leaf Trust to be allowed to work in Sri Lanka.

SAEF is registered as a Sri Lankan NGO under the Ministry of Social Welfare; the registration number in Sri Lanka is FL-117004.

Currently, we work with two organisations in Sri Lanka:

  •  Beacon Hill Academy

Beacon Hill Academy has been a huge support to the Tea Leaf Trust and has played a critical role in the establishment of the Tea Leaf Trust's main project the Tea Leaf Vision Centre for Professional Development. Beacon Hill Academy has allowed the Tea Leaf Trust full access to their education curriculum to provide a framework for the One Year Professional Development Training Course at the Educational Centre for Professional Development in Hatton. The Tea Leaf Trust provides Beacon Hill Academy with advice about funding opportunities and grant applications.

  • World Vision

World Vision is one of the biggest humanitarian aid agencies in the world and the biggest NGO working in Sri Lanka. World Vision has a number of offices in tea-growing regions of Sri Lanka and has an unrivaled knowledge of the needs of these districts. Through talks with World Vision, the Tea Leaf Trust have identified the tea district with the most need of educational facilities and a building which can be used as an teaching centre. World Vision are very keen to work with The Tea Leaf Trust to establish a teaching centre and learning programmes for young adults, to try to reverse the high unemployment rate in this age group and give hope to poverty stricken families.

Whilst World Vision is a Christian organisation, they do not seek to convert people to Christianity in Sri Lanka, and do not preach or promote the Christian doctrine. The Tea Leaf Trust has carried out a thorough investigation into the organisation and has had meetings with the head of World Vision in Norwood to discuss the practice and conduct of World Vision in regards to the promotion of the Christian faith. Through a variety of sources, the Tea Leaf Trust has been reassured that promotion of or conversion to Christianity is not a practice used by World Vision, Sri Lanka.

The Tea Leaf Trust has an agreement with World Vision that the partner projects will be of a strictly secular nature and will be instantly terminated should the agreement be violated.

The Tea Leaf Trust is a secular organisation and ensures that our partners take the same approach to the Tea Leaf Trust projects that they are involved in. The Tea Leaf Trust does not seek to influence the spirituality or beliefs of any employee or student involved in any of our projects. Any of our partners/ employees involved in any level of 'conversion' or promotion of any faith will be dismissed/ removed from the project(s) they are involved in, with immediate effect.