Many of us were still sipping our pre talk cups of tea as Sarah Ladbury introduced Melissa to us. Such an everyday activity that we probably take it for granted, but about which, within minutes, we were going to be hearing some uncomfortable home truths.

Melissa describes herself as a Cosmetic Acupuncturist and Luxury Transformative Retreat Leader but she was here to talk to us about a project in Sri Lanka that she is passionate about supporting called Tea Leaf Vision, run by the UK registered charity Tea Leaf Trust. Her association with the charity began as a result of her own personal story: she told us about a series of extraordinary coincidences which resulted in her managing to find, not only her birth mother, but also two full brothers and her grandmother, living on a tea plantation in Sri Lanka. She described the elation of meeting them but this was tempered by her concern about their living and working conditions.

Poor education keeps the Tamil workers of Indian origin, who were originally brought over especially to provide the poorly paid labour on the tea estates, firmly in their place. Melissa told us that wages are below the UN poverty band and that the tea plantation area in Sri Lanka is known as the world’s “fourth hotspot” for suicide.

Melissa is keenly aware that, had she not been adopted at eight weeks old and brought to the UK where she received an education that has enabled her to pursue her own career choices, she would be one of those plantation workers herself. She has been determined to find the best ways to help not only her own family but also the wider community.

We were shown a short film about Tea Leaf Vision which outlined their work in providing free education programmes, taught by qualified teachers, to the poorest tea estate communities. These programmes have proved life changing for the students who have had the chance to study on them. Melissa told us how she was able to get her two brothers onto the English Diploma Programme. Learning English opens up opportunities for work and the programme includes IT skills and business training. In gratitude to the charity Melissa helped raise the funds for a mobile library, including upkeep for the vehicle and the salaries for three teachers and a driver for a year. The bus not only takes over eight hundred books out to children on a daily basis but also provides safe transport for the diploma students to and from their place of study.

One of Melissa’s brothers now has a good job on a plantation that supplies Direct Trade tea, which promotes fairer, living wages. Melissa herself has launched her own tea brand: “Niroshini Direct Trade Tea” which is produced on this plantation. We were given a sniff of Melissa’s first hand rolled tea, “Flowering Black Velvet”, which has whole white tea flowers in it, which open up once the hot water is added, producing “fragrant, delicate overtones of honey”. A percentage of the profits go to Tea Leaf Vision and Melissa is continuing to search for new ways to support their work.

There were many questions at the end of this fascinating talk and I am adding some website addresses for those who would like to know more.  (Summary: Sarah Dawson)

The Tea Leaf Trust (which runs the project Tea Leaf Vision): https://tealeaftrust.com/ More information about Melissa’s tea:  http://niroshini-acupuncture.com/direct-trade-tea