Extra Cover has started making loans available for parents at Pathawelivitiya school. The parents are very poor and have very little or no income, so 7 families have taken up the offer to start a small business of growing tea.
There is huge demand for tea in the area so prices are very strong and it only takes out ΒΌ acre to make a potential profit out of tea (most rural families do have access to small pockets of land). All the parents have thought about growing Tea before, many parents have experience of working on tea plantations, but none have had the capital available to cover the initial setup costs.
Extra cover will provide each family with 1000 tea saplings, then regular deliveries of fertiliser and have experienced advisors to help the families with any help. When the first harvest of tea is sold, the loan will be paid back at a rate of 10% of the price received. Any loan money received will be invested back either into the school, the local community or on more Tea loans!
Family in line for a tea loan
Newton surveying Tea growing site
