The Rotary Club of Havant working with
the Tea Leaf Trust in Sri Lanka
The Tea Leaf Trust is a British registered Charity dedicated to -
- Providing
education and vocational training to the poorest communities in the
mainly tea growing region of Sri Lanka (known as the hill country)
- Promoting ethnic cohesion after 26 years of civil war, through shared educational programmes and resources
After
receiving a letter from Tim Pare, the British Director of the Trust
working in Sri Lanka at the Trust's Centre in Maskeliya, our Club
decided to provide some educational support for one of the pupils at the
education centre. Manjala is an 18 year old Tamil who lives in the tea
plantations with her parents and siblings. Her mother is a tea plucker
and her father is a poorly paid postman.
Manjala is now sponsored
for the year to complete a Diploma in English Language, Business
Studies and IT. We had no sooner sent the cheque when Tim arrived at the
family home to find that there had been a devastating fire which had
rendered the whole housing block unsafe, so it had been pulled down. The
whole family were now having to live in the kitchen shack which was a
short distance from the house. Manjala's father was about to send
Manjala to work in the tea plantation because the family badly needs
money to start again, but when he learned of the donation for Manjala's
business diploma, he relented. Manjala is now working hard to
successfully complete her studies.
Since then we have received a
'Thank You Letter' and photos from all the students at the centre and
photos of Manjala and her family.
Manjala 'our' shy Tamil student looking lovely. Manjala with her father receiving the gift of a new bed and
some blankets from the Tea Leaf Trust
Some of the family outside their demolished home. The kitchen shack
The whole housing block had to be demolished, not just The whole family sleeps here in what was the kitchen shack. their home.
Thank you note signed by the staff and older students at the Tea Leaf Trust
Reach Within to Embrace Humanity