Bringing Hope and Opportunity to Sri Lanka’s Tea Estate Communities
Tea Leaf Trust partners with Sri Lanka’s tea estate communities to create pathways for brighter futures. Through education, vocational training, and emotional support, we empower young people to build meaningful careers, strengthen their families and uplift their communities.
Rising costs, limited resources, and social barriers make daily life challenging. But with your support, we can provide life-changing education and skills training that give young people the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty.
Your contribution helps transform lives, encouraging dignity, education, and hope for generations to come. Together, we can create lasting change for the communities behind the tea we cherish.
Bringing Hope and Opportunity to Sri Lanka’s Tea Estate Communities
Tea Leaf Trust partners with Sri Lanka’s tea estate communities to create pathways for brighter futures. Through education, vocational training, and emotional support, we empower young people to build meaningful careers, strengthen their families and uplift their communities.
Rising costs, limited resources, and social barriers make daily life challenging. But with your support, we can provide life-changing education and skills training that give young people the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty.
Your contribution helps transform lives, encouraging dignity, education, and hope for generations to come. Together, we can create lasting change for the communities behind the tea we cherish.
OUR IMPACT SINCE 2010
82,000
Children and young people educated through our education programmes
80%
Tea Leaf alumni progress to employment or further education
757,000
Members of tea estate community supported by youth alumni
100%
Sri Lankan led - Supported by a global board of experts
Give the gift of learning
£14 Emergency
Bus Fare
£25 Women’s Leadership Workshops
£50 Children’s
English Classes
PARTNERS THAT HAVE SUPPORTED OUR IMPACT:
GRADUATE STORY
FROM STUDENT TO POLICE OFFICER
Rajkumar Balakrishnan thought it was impossible for young people in the tea estates to learn English, let alone pursue his dream job.
Rajkumar is now a Sub-Inspector in the Police Recruitment Division at the Police Head Office in Colombo. He has been serving as a Police Officer and living his dream job for six-years.
“Tea Leaf Vision taught me that ‘everything is possible if you believe in yourself. It changed my life!”
GRADUATE STORY
FROM STUDENT TO POLICE OFFICER
Rajkumar Balakrishnan thought it was impossible for young people in the tea estates to learn English, let alone pursue his dream job.
Rajkumar is now a Sub-Inspector in the Police Recruitment Division at the Police Head Office in Colombo. He has been serving as a Police Officer and living his dream job for six-years
“Tea Leaf Vision taught me that ‘everything is possible if you believe in yourself. It changed my life!”
GRADUATE STORY
From “Shy Girl” to Leader in Drug Prevention
Nidarshana Selladurai grew up alongside many girls in the tea estates who thought girls were not suitable to achieve their goals.
Nidarshana now works in the management team of the internationally recognised, Alcohol and Drug Information Center (ADIC) Sri Lanka.
“I have proven my talents in national and international forums, recognized as a national level resource person in the drug prevention field.”
GRADUATE STORY
From “Shy Girl” to Leader in Drug Prevention
Nidarshana Selladurai grew up alongside many girls in the tea estates who thought girls were not suitable to achieve their goals.
Nidarshana now works in the management team of the internationally recognised, Alcohol and Drug Information Center (ADIC) Sri Lanka.
“I have proven my talents in national and international forums, recognized as a national level resource person in the drug prevention field.”
Sri Lanka has the highest rate of suicide in South Asia
We are Tea Leaf Trust
We exist to lift Sri Lankan Tea Estate communities out of extreme poverty. We created Tea Leaf Trust for the Indian Tamils of the tea estates who are deliberately kept as an uneducated and dependent workforce. 83% of tea estate women suffer domestic violence, 85% of male tea estate workers are alcoholics and youth suicide rates are disproportionately high.
Tea Leaf Trust is a Sri Lankan-led charity that runs free, high-quality education programmes for professional, personal and leadership development. All so that our youth alumni can lift their families out of extreme poverty and lead change from within the tea estates.
“We are passionate about building a Sri Lanka where all youth have a fair start and tea estate communities live above the poverty line with dignity.”
- Founder Tim Pare
We are Tea Leaf Trust
We exist to lift Sri Lankan Tea Estate communities out of extreme poverty. We created Tea Leaf Trust for the Indian Tamils of the tea estates who are deliberately kept as an uneducated and dependent workforce. 83% of tea estate women suffer domestic violence, 85% of male tea estate workers are alcoholics and youth suicide rates are disproportionately high.
Tea Leaf Trust is a Sri Lankan-led charity that runs free, high-quality education programmes for professional, personal and leadership development. All so that our youth alumni can lift their families out of extreme poverty and lead change from within the tea estates.
“We are passionate about building a Sri Lanka where all youth have a fair start and tea estate communities live above the poverty line with dignity.”
- Founder Tim Pare
OUR STORY
Tea Leaf Trust was founded by Yasmene Shah and Tim Pare, who travelled to the Sri Lankan tea estates in 2007 whilst on their honeymoon. Their romanticised picture of the tea estates was turned upside down when they witnessed the tragic conditions that Indian Tamil women work in, the poverty of their community and the hardship of their history. Yas and Tim decided to move their lives to Sri Lanka and do something about it.
OUR STORY
Tea Leaf Trust was founded by Yasmene Shah and Tim Pare, who travelled to the Sri Lankan tea estates in 2007 whilst on their honeymoon. Their romanticised picture of the tea estates was turned upside down when they witnessed the tragic conditions that Indian Tamil women work in, the poverty of their community and the hardship of their history. Yas and Tim decided to move their lives to Sri Lanka and do something about it.
14 years later Tea Leaf Trust has helped 39,182 youth through education with over 80% of young people progressing into employment, further education and training. Along the way, these young people have, in turn, supported 349,397 members of their communities.
THE IMPACT OF YOUR DONATION
1. Donations
Good people donate $ and £ to Tea Leaf Trust.
2. Education
Our staff team, all from tea estate areas and our graduates, run our educational programmes for children and young people.
3. Youth Become Leaders
Young people succeed in employment out of the tea estates and lift their families out of extreme poverty.
4. Evaluate & Improve
We monitor, evaluate, learn and improve our programmes.
JOIN US!
Sign up for news and updates from Tea Leaf Trust. With your support, we can give children and young people from the tea estates a better future.
JOIN US!
Sign up for news and updates from Tea Leaf Trust. With your support, we can give children and young people from the tea estates a better future.
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