HEALTH & EDUCATION ALLIANCE
This past year has been transformative for Broadleaf as we continued our focus in the Eastern Himalayas while expanding globally.
2025 Year in Review
Access to Care in Darjeeling
We secured speech therapy for rural schools, cardiology evaluation for a youth with congenital heart disease and provided glasses for 9 children.
220 children received individualized mental health care.
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All while delivering health education curriculum and health services to XXX students in XX schools.
TeaLeaf in the Phillipines
In collaboration with the Department of Education, we completed a proof-of-concept pilot and currently delivering Tealeaf as a whole-school cascade model in 5 schools in preparation for a scale-up in 2026 to all 73 public elementary schools in Manilla. As part of these efforts our teams spent time in Manilla training more than 500 teachers.
2025 At a Glance: Collaboration Drives Impact
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Our decade-long commitment to Darjeeling's children remains at the heart of our work. In 2025, strategic partnerships with academic, government, and philanthropic partners expanded Tealeaf's reach to Manila and North Carolina—proving that community-led mental health care can thrive across cultures and contexts.
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In Darjeeling (with DLRP): 220 children received mental health care, symptoms dropped 55%, essential health services secured
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In Manila (with Philippines Dept. of Education): 5-school pilot completed, national scale-up agreement drafted for 73 public elementary schools
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In North Carolina (with UNC-Chapel Hill): Early pilots launched, bringing Tealeaf to US classrooms for the first time
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In Research (with Colorado School of Public Health & UNC): 3 peer-reviewed publications proving teachers can deliver effective mental health care
Letter from the founders
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Thank you for your continued support of Broadleaf over the past year!
As we reflect on 2025, we are overwhelmed with gratitude for the incredible network of supporters, colleagues, and community partners who make Broadleaf’s work possible.
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This year has been transformative, marked by collaborations that extend our reach beyond the Darjeeling Himalayas to new frontiers in the Philippines and North Carolina. While this growth has been both organic and unexpected, our commitment to rural communities of the Darjeeling Himalayas remains steadfast and at the heart of all we do.​
Our enduring partnership with DLRPrerna lies at the center of Broadleaf’s impact in the Darjeeling Himalayas. Over the past decade, our work together has exemplified the transformative potential of community-focused transdisciplinary collaboration. DLRPrerna’s deep understanding of the region’s socio-ecological, cultural, and political context ensures that every program we develop together is both relevant and sustainable. As our pioneering youth mental initiatives begins to expand beyond Darjeeling, our partnership has demonstrated the power of collective action in unlocking human potential.​
Our enduring partnership with DLRPrerna lies at the center of Broadleaf’s impact in the Darjeeling Himalayas. Over the past decade, our work together has exemplified the transformative potential of community-focused transdisciplinary collaboration. DLRPrerna’s deep understanding of the region’s socio-ecological, cultural, and political context ensures that every program we develop together is both relevant and sustainable. As our pioneering youth mental initiatives begins to expand beyond Darjeeling, our partnership has demonstrated the power of collective action in unlocking human potential.
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On a personal note, this year was especially meaningful as Denna and I had the opportunity to return to Darjeeling for an extended stay. It was wonderful to celebrate the Diwali holidays in Halderkhoti and Makaibari - where our Darjeeling adventure first started!
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As we look ahead to 2026, we are inspired by the momentum of this past year and the incredible opportunities that lie before us. We look forward to sharing with you more about our efforts to tackle the youth mental health crisis in Darjeeling and to expand Tealeaf across the Philippines.
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Together, we are building a future where communities can thrive through innovative, community-led solutions in health and education. Thank you for being an essential part of the Broadleaf family.
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With gratitude and hope,
Michael and Denna Matergia
Co-Founders, Broadleaf
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Four Stories from the Darjeeling Hills
Everyday moments that show how community-led care transforms children's lives
Vision Screening
"Everything looks sharp now"
CHHIP: School Health Program
For months, 10-year-old Bibek sat closer and closer to the blackboard. Teachers thought he was distracted or falling behind. During a routine CHHIP screening, the team realized he simply couldn't see well.
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A week later, he received his first pair of glasses. He looked around the classroom, paused, and said quietly:
"Everything looks sharp now"
Through CHHIP this year, children received vision and hearing screenings, corrective glasses, speech therapy referrals, and a cardiology evaluation for a child with suspected heart concerns. Sometimes improving a child's wellbeing starts with meeting straightforward health needs—kindly, consistently, and early.
Adolescent Support
"Miss, Can I talk to you for a Minute?"
Tealeaf Adolescent: Supporting Youth in Transition
As pressure from school and home built up, 13-year-old Anusha stopped participating in class. Her teacher, newly trained in the Tealeaf adolescent model, didn't push. Instead, she offered brief, consistent check-ins.​
One afternoon, Anush lingered after class.
"Miss, can I talk to you for a minute?"
It was the first time she had reached out. These early relational moments form the core of our new Tealeaf adolescent pilot—teachers using small doses of support, predictable routines, and safe conversations to help youth navigate stress, identity, and change.
Teacher Transformation
"I Used to Scold. Now I Ask"
Tealeaf: Teacher-Delivered Mental Health Care
Before Tealeaf, Dawa Sir managed his classroom strictly, loudly, with little room for emotion. After training, he approached things differently.
When 9-year-old Nima stopped turning in work, instead of scolding, Dawa Sir sat beside him and gently asked:
"What's going on?"
Nima whispered that his father had left for migrant labor and he missed him. What followed were small, thoughtful steps—shorter assignments, predictable routines, a daily check-in. Within weeks, Nima was smiling again.
Through Tealeaf this year, 220 children received individualized mental health support, with symptoms decreasing by 55%. Teachers often tell us Tealeaf changes their lives too.
Nutrition Garden
Learning in the School Garden
CHHIP: Connecting Health, Culture, and Community
Behind a small primary school in the Darjeeling hills, children tend beds of squash, rai saag, long beans, and local herbs—foods their families have grown for generations.
The nutrition garden has become an outdoor classroom where teachers weave in lessons on local foods, seasonal eating, and how traditional ingredients support health. Students are more focused, calmer, and more connected when learning outdoors.
"The garden teaches them to care—for the plants, for their health, and for each other." -Teacher
In Darjeeling’s schools, growing food is growing community, culture, and wellbeing.
"Amid the monsoon rain pounding the roof, a teacher knelt quietly beside a crying child until the tears slowed. No big intervention. Just presence."
-DLRP-Broadleaf Field Team member, Darjeeling
The TeaLeaf Model: Teachers Leading the Frontlines
What if the adults children see every day could also be their mental health providers?
That's the simple, powerful idea behind Tealeaf. We train teachers to weave mental health support into everyday classroom moments—a morning check-in, a patient conversation, a predictable routine. No therapy offices. No appointments. Just small, consistent acts of care delivered by the trusted adults already in children's lives.
Teachers Notice
Children spend 6-8 hours a day at school. Teachers already see when something is wrong - a child who's withdrawn, anxious, or acting out.
Teachers Respond
With TeaLeaf training, teachers know how to help - brief check-ins, modified assignments, predictable routines, patient conversations.
Children Thrive
Small moments add up. Overworks and months, children feel seen, stress decreases, and learning improves.
Groundbreaking Results Emerging from Darjeeling
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55% reduction in mental health symptoms among children receiving support
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Significant academic gains marked by substantial improvement in math and reading scores
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Impact that may exceed what's achieved through medication alone
TeaLeaf works because it meets children where they are - in their classrooms, with people they trust, during moments that matter.
"TeaLeaf has transformed my classroom. Every interaction is now an opportunity to support my students' mental well-being."
-TeaLeaf-trained teacher
Research & Evidence Highlights
Three peer-reviewed studies published in 2025 prove teachers can transform mental health outcomes.
Broadleaf’s research partnerships generated three peer-reviewed publications in 2025 that deepen the global evidence base for teacher-delivered mental health care. Collectively, they demonstrate that teachers can effectively deliver therapy, youth in Darjeeling experience measurable gains, and Tealeaf improves both mental health and academics—all while strengthening systems of Community-Initiated Care.
Study 1
AUSTRALASIANPSYCHIATRY
A New Form of Therapy
Teachers Don't Just Teach - They Heal
Researchers discovered that 82% of therapeutic techniques were woven directly into everyday teaching, and 67% were interventions only teachers could deliver.
This isn't traditional therapy transplanted into schools - it's a completely new form of mental health care.
Study 2
DISCOVER MENTAL HEALTH
Mental Health Meets Academics
Better Mental Health, Better Learning
Students receiving TeaLeaf showed a 62% lower risk of remaining in the clinical range for mental health symptoms - and gained the equivalent of 1.6 grade levels in math and nearly 1 grade level in reading.
TeaLeaf improves both wellbeing and academic performance, positioning teachers as essential mental health providers.
Study 3
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH & EDUCATION
Prevention in Action
The Window for Building Resilience
Early adolescence is a critical period. youth who develop control-oriented coping skills show fewer symptoms and higher resilience. Social Support from trusted adults - like teachers - strengthens these skills.
School-based environments and trusted adults can shift mental health trajectories before problems become crises
These studies prove what we see in the classrooms every day: when teachers have the right tools, they can change lives.
Where We're Going
TeaLeaf's 5 Year Global Expansion Roadmap
Building a word where every child has access to mental health through the teachers they already trust
2025-2026
Darjeeling, India
Deepening Our Roots
In 2026:
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Launching TeaLeaf for adolescents and teens
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Completing major effectiveness study
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Strengthening the systems for Long-term sustainability
Our long-term vision: a full community-based mental health system for children and families across the Darjeeling Himalayas - built on relationships, small moments of care, and community leadership.
2025-2028
Manila, Phillipines
Scaling to National Reach
In 2026:
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Signing MOU with Philippines Department of Education
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Expanding from 5 schools to all 73 public elementary schools in Manila
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Integrating TeaLeaf into university teacher training program
With government partnership, we're building a pathway for every child in the Philippines to receive mental health support through their teachers.
2025-2030
USA & Beyond
Global learning & Momentum
In 2026:
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Expanding pilots in North Carolina Classrooms
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Testing TeaLeaf across diverse cultural contexts
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Strengthening training and digital coaching models
Our work in Darjeeling and the Philippines is informing how Tealeaf can serve children in very different contexts — including early pilots in the United States. This global learning network strengthens our tools, training, and evidence base as we grow.
From rural Dareeling to Manila's public schools to classrooms in North Carolina, we're proving that community-led health care can thrive anywhere.
The teachers are ready. The children need support. The evidence is clear.
Now it is time to scale.
Partnership Highlights
Broadleaf’s impact is built through deep, long-term partnerships committed to equity, community leadership, and systems change.
Darjeeling Ladenla Road Prerna (DLRP)
Our Foundational Partnership
15 years of co-creation rooted in trust and shared purpose
DLRP remains Broadleaf’s most important partner in the Darjeeling Himalayas. Our work together extends far beyond program delivery — it is about building systems, growing people, and shaping a shared future for children and families across the region.​
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DLRP is not just a partner — it is the heart of Broadleaf’s community-led model in the Himalayas.
In 2025 our partnership focused on:
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Shaping the next phase of CHHIP, ensuring the school health program evolves to meet the changing needs of Darjeeling’s communities.
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Creating a strategy map for a broader, place-based system of care — integrating health, wellbeing, education, and community supports.
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Strengthening an equitable partnership, including mentorship, shared leadership, and professional growth pathways for team members across both organizations.
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Co-developing the Tealeaf adolescent pilot and supporting ongoing implementation across rural and tea garden schools.
Mariwala Health Initiative
Amplifying Community Led-Innovation in India
MHI continues to be a key partner elevating Darjeeling’s role in shaping India’s understanding of community-driven mental health and wellbeing.
Their support strengthens:
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Ethical, inclusion-centered research
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Capacity-building of frontline implementers
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National visibility for teacher- and community-delivered care​
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MHI helps ensure that Broadleaf-DLRP’s work remains grounded in community wisdom and positioned within India’s broader mental health movement.
University Partnerships
Building Evidence and Advancing Global Learning
Our academic partnerships with the University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill and University of Colorado School of Public Health ensure Broadleaf’s work is rigorous and globally relevant.
Together we are:
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Completing the Type 3 Tealeaf trial
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Strengthening training, coaching, and digital supervision models
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Expanding cross-country learning through U.S. pilot sites​
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These collaborations help turn local innovation into global knowledge.
Department of Education, Philippines (DepEd)
A National Partnership Designed for Scale
Following a successful 5-school pilot in Manila, Broadleaf and DepEd have drafted an agreement that outlines a shared vision to strengthen student wellbeing across the public school system.
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The agreement focuses on:
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Building teacher mental health skills across public elementary schools
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Developing guidance counselors and designates as Tealeaf coaches
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Supporting DepEd in establishing a Train-the-Trainers (ToT) model for sustainable, government-owned scale
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Integrating Tealeaf concepts into NEAP (National Educators Association Philippines) and university teacher-preparation programs
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Establishing shared monitoring, evaluation, and digital delivery systems
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This partnership places Tealeaf on a pathway toward local — and eventually national — adoption.
From grassroots organizations to national governments to leading research institutions—our partnerships prove that transforming children's lives requires collaboration across sectors, cultures, and contexts.
