A head start on life.... at preschool!

UPDATE: At the end of 2021 we came together to raise funds to open a preschool on a tea estate in Sri Lanka (full story below). I have just returned from another trip to Sri Lanka and had chance to see first-hand how the school is doing. I am happy to report that the school is thriving despite the very challenging economic situation in Sri Lanka. The first two students graduated the preschool while I was there (see header photo). They are brimming with confidence as they enter Grade 1, it's wonderful to see. The associated after-school tutoring program is also doing very well and a number of the students were awarded excellent grades in their recent O Level exams with the support of the extra tuition. It's also lovely to see the wonderful community gathering place the school has become, at Pongal local families gathered at the school for a celebration. So many benefits this school brings to local families.

So successful is the first school that the teachers, Mohana and Jenita, are looking to open a second school in the tea estate community of Brunswick.

Together we raised $7000 to get the first school started. Some of the equipment purchased can be shared with the second school and as such, we need just an additional $3000 to buy the basics to get the second school started in the Spring. I hope you can help us with that, every bit helps.

Thank you for your support!

Please read on for more background on this project.

Our Story and Opening the First School

The tea estate community remains one of the most oppressed areas in Sri Lanka. Still relatively isolated, many in these communities live below the poverty line and many live in families where alcoholism and domestic violence are dominant. Education in these areas is severely underfunded and does not prepare the student for life or the workplace. English language and other subjects key to professional employment in Sri Lanka are poorly taught in the tea plantations schools. Couple all of this with the fact that young people from the tea estates are often discriminated against when seeking employment means that they often are faced with a lack of prospects.

Meet Jenita and Mohana… These are two inspirational young women who grew up and live in the tea plantation communities of Sri Lanka.

Jenita and Mohana found a way out of the situation they found themselves in through Tea Leaf Vision (TLV) in Maskeliya, Central Province, Sri Lanka. TLV is a school for young adults from tea plantations that works to improve the employability of youth and choice of employment options outside the tea estates by facilitating the development of high-standard English language skills and professionalism, among many other skills. It was at this school, where I volunteered for the last few years, that I met Jenita and Mohana.

Jenita’s Story

Jenita is from Brunswick Estate, Maskeliya. She is one of a family of five. She attended a government run school on the tea estate until grade eight. At fourteen years old she was sent away with her sister to a hostel to study. She was depressed being away from her family and having to look after her sister who was eleven years old. She performed poorly in her studies, but somehow she managed to complete her courses and return home. On returning home the situation was not good, her father could not find sufficient work to support the family. Jenita, searched for a job to help the situation at home but with poor English and average A level results she struggled. She found herself unable to support her family as was needed and she once again became depressed. Then in 2010 she found TLV and joined as a student. Her English improved exponentially there and she was given support to deal with her emotional health problems. That one year made a huge difference in her life. By September 2011 she had graduated from TLV and was offered a job there. She worked first as an Admin Officer, then Teacher, Assistant Principal and finally Principal for two years. This entire ten years journey with Tea Leaf Vision impacted positively on her life and she learned much about the power of education and English knowledge for the young people of her community.

Mohana’s Story

Mohana had a similar path, struggling to find work after leaving government school that would enable her to support her family financially. She was unable to continue her studies due to her family’s financial situation and her limited English. She joined TLV as a student in 2012. After graduation TLV she was in a much stronger position and became an English teacher in a popular international school. She taught there till she returned to Tea Leaf Vision in 2016 as a teacher. She worked there until 2018. She also has learned the power of education and English language in her community.

Both of these women inspired many students at TLV and during that journey saw the difference that English language education and emotional health support made to the young people of their communities that attended the school. They are now both married and Mohana has two young children. Jenita delivered her first child this past September.

What’s was next for Mohana and Jenita?

They both have seen first hand difference that a positive education experience has on the youth of the estates. They know that this same kind of experience would be invaluable in the preschool years. They studied for their preschool teaching qualifications to enable them to take their extensive teaching experience and apply it in a preschool environment. With fundraising support, these young women opened a preschool in Bogawatta near Nawalapitiya in January 2022.

They said “The reason why we want to start the preschool is to make sure that the children are catered to properly when they are young. Children in tea estate face challenges like alcoholism, poverty and violence. We as young people were given support emotionally when we joined Tea Leaf Vision. It took about nineteen to twenty years to be emotionally healed. We want to shorten that journey for young people by starting at the preschool level. We feel if we can give the children the strength and knowledge when they are young they would be better situated to perform well in their ongoing studies and have the confidence and some of the tools to solve problems”

The goal of their preschool is to educate young children in the three languages of Sri Lanka – English, Tamil and Sinhalese as well as a providing a Montessori preschool education. With the confidence this will provide they believe this will take away their fear of learning English, which is key to professional employability in Sri Lanka and will give them the confidence they need to start their education in a strong position.

How you helped

Jenita and Mohana are committed to their communities and have put in the work to obtain their preschool certifications however they needed help with the start-up costs for the school. We raised $7000 for equipment and supplies – rent deposit, desks, IT supplies and equipment, books, toys etc.

Thank you!