To provide opportunities and promote ethnic cohesion through education. To deliver high quality, accessible educational programmes, both full time and part-time, to young people and children from the tea estates in the hill country of Sri Lanka; To effect social transformation in tea estate communities by highlighting the importance of community service, and instilling it as a core value in the youth through a series of practical programmes that develop their skills to give back to their communities; To improve youth employability and increase employment options outside the tea estates by facilitating the development of high-standard English language skills and professional skills; To facilitate the development of the emotional health of young people, enabling them to strengthen their positive coping strategies in order to with the complex societal issues that exist in their communities.

Tea Leaf Trust runs educational programmes for children and young people in Sri Lankan tea estates, lifting them and their families out of poverty through employment, further education and training. The current constantly evolving economic situation in Sri Lanka, in particular, the high inflation and increased cost of living, is making it extremely difficult for our students to regularly attend school. They are being forced to choose between going to school and having enough food for their family.

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 youth alumni can lift their families out of extreme poverty and lead change from within the tea estates.

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.