The TEAm

J.Arun JP

Chief Executive

Arun is the youngest Director on the board; bringing necessary youthful insight, energy & a wealth of ideas to the TEAm. Educated (Trilingual in Tamil, Sinhala and English), he is already business proven and owns valuable experience of working for charitable causes prior to joining the project. An excellent communicator. Above all Arun is genuine; his kindness shines through. He has a willingness to go the extra mile for the children we work for and utilises his skills to help the project to realise our vision & achieve it's mission.

As a socially responsible person it is my duty to give something back to the society. T.E.A. is a great platform, I love doing charity work and bringing smiles to children

Dr. Sulochana Segera

Patron

One of Sri Lanka’s leading social entrepreneurs, trainers and motivational speakers; Dr. Segera is Chairperson of Women In Management (WIM).

Also a trainer for The British Council’s ‘Active Citizen’ project, the Youth Parliament of Sri Lanka and a certified trainer for IFC on Women in Boards. Dr. Segera has been a facilitator on many female entrepreneurships, empowerment and gender related programmes conducted by national and international organizations; among them the UN, the UNDP, the EU, the IFC and Swiss Labour. She also sits in the Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Skill Development, Employment and Labour Relations.

Credited with training over 5,000 police officers, 30,000 micro women entrepreneurs and motivating over 30,000 school children on personality building.

Dr Segara is an inspiration & advocate for the children The T.E.A. Project is proud to work for and inspirational member of the TEAm.

Racheal Ireton

TrusTEA & Co-Founder

Her career has been dedicated to improving life chances and promoting rights for vulnerable children and young people. A recognised Children’s Rights Trainer, Advocate, Participation Manager and Education Consultant Racheal has vast experience developing standards; working in collaboration with organisations and service users.

I am a strong advocate of social justice, travelling to Mozambique as a young graduate inspired me to dedicate my life to helping others less privileged than myself. My dream is for The T.E.A. Project to empower millions of children living in poverty

Carl Gale

TrusTEA & Co-Founder

Carl is best described as a creative element. He brings a coloured and varied wealth of professional value to the project; gathered from decades of travel, work, education and life experience. Carl attributes his achievements to his friends, family and an unrelenting personal resolve.

The most valuable things I have learned in life came from listening and observing people, opinions and situations; good and bad. The most important thing I feel I can do to repay that education is to try and help the lives of people less fortunate than myself; to become a positive part of that same education. I make my dreams a reality

Leonie

TrusTEA

Central to both of my careers as a Community Dance Artist and more recently as an Occupational Therapist has been the desire to support people to discover and fulfill their potential.
As someone who comes from relatively humble beginnings, l know from direct experience that access to activities helped develop my skills and my confidence from an early age. It made a positive difference to the opportunities l had and the choices l made in my adult life. My wish is that l can play a part in supporting and guiding the project and ultimately make a positive difference to the most disadvantaged children in Sri Lanka.

The future is brighter for all of us if every child is supported to be the best they can be.

Fredrik Hedström

TrusTEA

When volunteering at TEA with his family, Fredrik loved the organization's work with the fantastic children of the highlands. With extensive experience as management consultant and strategy director, Fredrik contributes within the areas of strategic direction, planning and prioritizing the things that make the most difference.
Whenever possible, Fredrik travels with his wife and two small children to experience different cultures and meet wonderful people across the world.

For me it's amazing if my 'corporate skillset' can add value in TEA's mission to create a better life for underprivileged children. Our last day at The Cloud, being invited to some students family's houses, will stay with us forever.

Tharindu Kasunpriya

Manager of Centre Operations

Tharindu is a professional Social Worker who is always seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling with the heart of another in order to make people understand about their strengths and empower them to have a quality of life.

My dream is to actively protect and empower all people, regardless of their race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, religious preference, gender identification, age, mental or physical abilities, or spiritual affiliations.

Dinuka

Senior Project Officer

I'm an undergraduate at the University of Sri Jayawardhanapura (external), currently a second year student. Also I am a Dhamma school teacher since 2013. I am currently engaged in many social welfare works in my village as well as in the Gangawata Koralae secretarial Division.

My ambition is to become a psychological counselor in order to help communities to get rid of Psychological Disorders.

Krishanthi

Youth Empowerment Service (Y E.S.) Co-ordinator

I am following my Bachelor of Arts Degree from university of Kalaniya. I am a former member of Youth Parliament of National Youth Services Council.
Also I was a National Board member of National Federation of Youth Clubs of National Youth Services Council. Currently working as a Sinhala language teacher. I'm a Trainer of sexual and Reproductive Health (SRHR) and Leadership Skills Development. Also I'm working as a full time VolunTEAr at Service Civil International Organisation. Also I work with many local organisations as a volunTEAr.

My dream is to do an organic farm of my own and helping to protect the environment and climate changes and helping needy children for their education and live a happy and peaceful Life.

Erandi Wickramasinghe

Preschool Lead TEAcher

Erandi is a professional elocution instructor and a dedicated teacher. She is multi-talented for manipulative, technology and group projects to facilitate multiple workshops and trainings. She is enthusiastic and energetic to keep students interested and focused.

My dream is to help students pursue their dreams regardless of race, class or sexual orientation and to shape the character and behaviour of every student to build a progressed society.

Chandralatha

Assistant Preschool TEAcher

Chandralatha has passed her G.C.E. (Advanced Level) Examination in 2009 and she has followed a Diploma Course in English Language Development. Also she has successfully completed a Job Skills Development Training Programme offered by Bank of Ceylon, Galaha branch. Chandralatha has begun her career as a Customer Service Assistant at a Textile Company.

Children feel loved, respected i need to encouraged to develop to their fullest potential. My dream is to see children access good education and all childcare systems in a safe, respectful and inclusive environment that builds a foundation for life long learning.

Chamal De Alwis

Legal Assist

Chamal is a practising lawyer. He holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the Open University of Sri Lanka. He is a young and dynamic professional lawyer who can provide incredible value to our charity, protecting us from legal implications and keeping our organisation running smoothly.

I am glad to join The T.E.A. Project and support their fantastic work. It is an excellent opportuniTEA for me to help the lives of those disadvantaged socially and economically.

Kavitha

F.O.O.D Programme Coordinator

Kavitha is the F.O.O.D. Programme Coordinator at The T.E.A. Project. She is educated up to Ordinary Level and is good at sewing and designing clothes as well as cooking delicious food. She has a lot of experience in making healthy and nutritious food for her family and friends. Also she sees this as her passion. Her wish is to prepare and serve different kind of dishes to make everyone happy. Kavitha’s hobby is planting flowers with her kids in the garden and maintain those well.

My dream is that the children who are coming to The Cloud have a healthy life in the future.

Christin Fritsche

Int. VolunTEAr Co-Ordinator & TrusTEA

Christin has graduated in Adult Education / Vocational Training and English Studies. Her interest in cultures brought her to many corners of the world. Being driven by her open, inquisitive and compassionate nature and listening to many different life stories, her desire grew to do something meaningful and help disadvantaged people.

Already as a child I had a strong sense of justice and often took the role of a mediator, supporting others. Later people frequently told me that I cannot change the world. But I think I can do it. Every little effort counts, everyone can make a difference. And the reward is more valuable than anything: to see people grow from their own strength is really touching my heart. My dream is for every human being to recognize their uniqueness and to develop the confidence and means to do what they love, regardless of their background.

Nicola Hall

Corporate Fundraising Officer

Nicola has held a number of different marketing and communication positions including Head of Internal Communications and Creative for ICAP

Passion, energy, originality and skill goes into everything I deliver. I believe in partnership and collaboration and teaming up with the right people and sector partners to deliver the best results. I am deeply touched by the work of the T.E.A. project. It was humbling to meet the children of Sri Lanka living in impoverished conditions associated with the families working on the tea plantations. The children have an innocence and vulnerability, but also a brightness and great spirit with so much potential in life. With training, education and encouragement it will enable a future full of possibility. It is an honour to be a part of the T.E.A. project, to help them to achieve their goals and make a profound difference.
I enjoy experimenting with cooking different cuisines, sport, music, travel and culture and art.
I dream for more equality and opportunity in the world.

Shenali Harley

Marketing Innovator

I'm an experienced marketer with a passion towards brand optimization and brand building. I have also planned and coordinated many charitable projects as the vice president of SLIM student council in Kandy which encouraged me further to get involved in programs to serve the society in need. I love to allocate my time in helping people and animals as I'm passionate to enlighten the lives of the needy. Whenever I get free time I love to explore places to admire the creations of nature. My dream is to actively engage and implement a program to create a sustainable tomorrow by spreading love, kindness & positivity across the whole world and to create an impactful change for our future generations.

Joshua Walker

Creative Designer

A Film & TV production graduate, Josh has specialized in the more visual elements of story-telling, with a strong passion for cinematography, digital editing and design.
Working for various companies over the past few years, be it shopping channels, Argos or most recently, Bike Insurance – Josh has always desired to use his abilities to tell stories, engage audiences and weave visual aids when needed.

The T.E.A project is an exceptional cause with such passionate members. Using what I have learned (and continue to do so), I hope that I can make a difference to the project and the children it benefits.

Carolina Longhini

Web Developer & I.T Co-Ordinator

Carolina is The T.E.A. Project’s Web Developer and IT Co-Ordinator, responsible for developing, maintaining and monitoring our website. She loves all things tech, travelling and learning new things. When not coding, she can be found outside with her dogs or enjoying a good cup of coffee or both.

We all have something to give and contribute for a better world. When in doubt, start with a positive attitude and good intentions.

Naleen Jayaratne

Finance Manager

Naleen is a professionally qualified Chartered Accountant in CA Sri Lanka and Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA) in Australia. With over 20 years experience in the accounting, banking and finance, real estate, audit/assurance and pharmaceutical industries in both Sri Lanka and Australia.

My hope is to contribute my experience towards The T.E.A. Project in order to further enhance the quality of service, running systems and professionalism. I am motivated to work with children and support the development of their skills and career.

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