Support a Student, Strengthen a Community

Joy, Hope and Opportunity

These are the values that run through everything we do at Tea Leaf Trust. This term, 550 students have developed their English knowledge, enhanced their employability skills and learned strategies to face challenges and increase their self-esteem. Last weekend, these amazing students took to the stage alongside their classmates to sing, dance, act and paint in front of their families and communities at Talent Show. These are events filled with joy and the smiles (and dancing!) is infectious.

We hope you enjoy three stories of impact that highlight how your support is helping to support young people to create brighter futures and strengthen Sri Lanka’s tea estate communities. 

Joy

Mr Nawfer, a 2023 alumni, now teaches ICT at Tea Leaf Pussellawa and leads our outreach projects. He shares how your support is giving young people a chance to show that they have talents and develop their self-esteem.

“Before Talent Show, I went to my Tea Leaf Centre (TLC) every day but I didn't talk with people because I was scared to speak because my English wasn’t good and I had lots of negative thoughts about myself. I remember when I started at TLC, my teacher, Ms Cafoor, asked me to write the alphabet. I didn’t even know what that word meant until I looked at my friend's book.

For our Talent Show, my class prepared an awareness drama for our parents about the TLCs and why they are important. I performed as a professor and explained about the new centre coming in Pussellawa. I had never performed like this before. In government schools, they will not take the children from the tea estates, instead only the most confident and rich people will get the chance to perform.

After Talent Show, things started to improve. I became more relaxed. I noticed that our teachers smiled at me and encouraged me. I didn’t always get the best marks but I started to implement the lessons into my life - even now. I remember this song in Success and Ethics (Bobby McFerrin: Don’t worry be happy) now that’s my motivation. Now I am a positive person and I don’t take negative things to heart.”

Hope

In the tea estates, women face numerous challenges that hinder the development of their talents. The challenge we see the most is their limited access to quality education: a shortage of qualified teachers and essential facilities like IT labs and libraries.

But thanks to your support, there is hope! Each year, we provide hundreds of students with IT access and education.
Miss Rathnayake, IT Subject Head at TLC Ragala, explains how your support is providing hope for many young people. 

“Before coming to Tea Leaf, many of my students had never touched a computer mouse. Not because they can’t learn, but because they didn’t get the chance. But if we want to get a good job that can support our families. If we want to be part of this modern world, we need to know how to use technology. Most jobs need even basic computer skills and some of our students don't have these when they leave secondary education.

“At Tea Leaf Trust, I believe we are giving our students a golden opportunity. An opportunity to explore, understand and use technology in a practical and empowering way. I feel extremely proud of this opportunity to support my students in their path to a successful career."

Opportunity

Finally, meet Miss Debro Rukshi. One of our amazing Trainee Teachers. Alongside our one-year Main Diploma (MD), we run the Advanced Diploma: our Teacher Training programme. This programme provides MD graduates with the knowledge and training to become successful and student-focused teachers, whether at a TLC or in their communities. Debro Rukshi explains how your support is providing vocational opportunities for young women like her.

“Once I finished my O-Levels, I immediately went to work. First, I worked at a Matchbox filling company, providing money each week to support my family's needs. I wanted to do my A-levels, but I had a bigger desire to support my family. A few years ago, my mother had to have surgery on her leg because of poisoning after a leech bite. Still she is feeling that pain, and so she can only work for two to three days, so she can only earn 10,000 (£26) in a month. But then they will take rice, dahl, sugar and repayment for our loans, so the balance will be around 150 rupees (40p)"

Debro Rukshi went to work at a garment factory but became frustrated because of the poor conditions and lack of respect for women. “I thought. I studied until A-level, why am I paid so little? Why am I treated so badly?” After this she went to work at a tea factory and operated some of the tea powder packing machines. Along with this, she carried large sacks of tea (30 to 50 KG) for distribution. “I felt stuck in this work. But it was at that time, I got to know about the Tea Leaf course from a friend.”

In 2024, she applied and joined the Main Diploma at our new centre in Pussellawa. From here, Debro Rukshi studied hard and grew in her knowledge and confidence in English, achieving a Distinction in her Main Diploma. During the 2024 Speech Conference, she passionately delivered a speech about the significant changes that Tea Leaf had made in her life.

For Debro Rukshi this transformation in her knowledge and character has made her passionate about the opportunities provided by Tea Leaf. She is determined to teach at a Tea Leaf Centre and be an example to her family. 

Your donations and your support matter. They enable us to reach more young people and more communities who feel forgotten. Thankyou for believing in our work and for joining us in it!

If you would like to hear more, we’d love to send you our monthly newsletter: The Tea Leaf Times. Subscribe Here

With best wishes,

The Tea Leaf Family

Links:

• TLT website
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