Research Runner sponsors student of tea plantation workers in Sri Lanka

Lead generation specialists Research Runner are proud to support Dignity Through Education, a small UK charity that supports higher education for the underprivileged children of tea plantation workers in Sri Lanka.

Research Runner has committed to sponsoring a student’s education for three years. The funds provided help to cover the cost of university, books, technology, and travel for the student.

About Sri Lankan tea plantation workers

There are approximately 60,000 young people aged 15-30 living on the tea plantations. Schools aren’t often accessible, which means that around half of young people have undergone primary education. Passing their A levels, much less going to university, is a great achievement. Dignity Through Education is there to help support students who have overcome great difficulty to succeed in being accepted to university.

The tea plantation workers in Sri Lanka are the descendants of Indian Tamils who were brought to British Ceylon in the 1820s. They were unpaid although slavery was outlawed and continue to live and work for low wages in very harsh conditions.

There are still around 500,000 workers in the Sri Lankan tea industry today. Most are women who work long hours in severe hard weather conditions, sometimes at an elevation of 2,500 metres or more, without cold protective clothing, breaks and with heavy quotas. And yet they earn around just £4 per day.

We are honoured to be able to help support our student, but there are more students on the waiting list to be matched with a sponsor. For just £12 a month, donors could dramatically change the life of a Sri Lankan student by funding their university tuition and related costs.

A student’s feedback:

“I am proud to say that I am a child of a tea estate labourer and even more proud that I am a Degree holder, a very rare privilege for someone from a forgotten community.”

-Anjalin

Learn more about Dignity Through Education and how you could get involved.