By Tim Pare | Co-founder
Dear Friends,
As we reflect at the end of this challenging year, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to you for standing with Tea Leaf Trust. Whether you are a long-standing supporter, or someone who made a single gift in support of a friend or family member’s fundraiser, your generosity has made a meaningful difference.
Many of us turn instinctively to a cup of tea in moments of stress, upset, celebration or companionship. It brings warmth and a sense of comfort. At Tea Leaf Trust, our work is grounded in bringing that same warmth, strength and connection to the families who pick the tea we enjoy each day.
This year has stretched the resilience of these communities. Cyclone Ditwah brought flooding, landslides and destruction to the Central and Uva Provinces. Families who already live on the edge found themselves suddenly displaced, hungry and without income.
Thanks to your support, we have been able to respond quickly. Our incredible staff, students and alumni have already supported around 500 families with emergency food packs, blankets, clothing, pillows and basic household cooking utensils, and we are now halfway towards our goal of reaching 1,000 families. We have helped children return to school by providing stationery and books lost in the floods. We are also sending teams of staff, students and alumni to train families in completing the government application forms needed to access state support.
Alongside crisis relief, we remain committed to our core mission: supporting young people to become emotionally resilient, ethical leaders of change within their communities. The silver lining in this dark cloud is that these tragic circumstances have revealed that the seeds of leadership we plant are taking root. In this time of need, our young people have stood up, inspired others, and begun to serve.
* In Norwood, staff and alumni distributing emergency packs were approached by younger children who asked to join after seeing what they were doing. They became part of the relief efforts, helping carry parcels along damaged footpaths. A small but powerful moment of leadership learned through example.
* One of our alumni, who graduated in 2017 and is now thriving in her career, reached out unprompted and pledged $20 a month to support students’ bus fares so they can travel to school. She shared that she wanted to give back because education transformed her life.
* Three graduates of Tea Leaf Trust who recently completed their degrees at the University of Jaffna have returned home and begun planning how to support their communities once the initial emergency response fades. Their focus is helping families, many of whom are illiterate, understand and complete the forms required to rebuild their homes and livelihoods. They told us that their motivation came directly from the service experiences and leadership lessons learned at Tea Leaf Trust.
These stories show us that resilience can be taught, leadership can be nurtured, and lasting change grows from within a community.
Your generosity has made this possible. On behalf of every student, teacher, graduate and family in the tea estates, thank you. Your kindness is helping transform crisis into hope and building the foundations for stronger, more self-determining communities.
With deep gratitude,
Tim Pare and Yasmene Shah
Co-founders, Tea Leaf Trust
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By James Houston | Fundraiser
By James Houston | Fundraiser
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