Women and girls in Assam
Roughly a 2 minute read
We’re proud to support the Ethical Tea Partnership and have been providing essential funding since 2014 to support the ETP – UNICEF Improving Lives Programme in Assam, which is helping to improve the safety of girls living in tea communities across Assam.
Assam is one of our most important tea growing areas, but the large communities involved in tea in this region – one of the poorest in India – face deep-rooted challenges, to which women and children are especially exposed. Many young people leave school without a proper education and with limited opportunities for the future. Girls in particular are vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking to the major cities outside of Assam. The region has been a particular focus for us in the last few years and we’ve been working hard to deliver meaningful change in the estate communities we buy from.
The ETP Unicef programme was set up as a ground breaking project to help change the lives of thousands of children living in three districts in Assam and over the last three years, the programme has brought about significant progress. As supporters of the programme, we’re proud that over 300,000 tea community members have benefitted from this phase of life-changing work.
17-year-old Anita and 23 year old Akoni have both benefited from the programme.
After learning about dietary diversity, Anita, with support from UNICEF, created a kitchen garden where she grew a range of vegetables and educated her community about the benefits. As a result, 400 kitchen gardens have followed suit.
Anita said: “The concept of kitchen gardens was unknown to most of us before. Now, I’m convinced that every household should have one, to do away with the problem of malnutrition prevalent in the tea community. It helps improve our health and save money too.”
And Akoni is a classic example of how empowerment of young people can help transform them into confident and responsible citizens of society. Thanks to the programme, Akoni was given the confidence to contest in her local election, which saw her voted as a village councillor.
She said: “I have learnt a lot, especially about child rights, evils of early marriage and child abuse. And now, I try to disseminate the same messages in the society.”
Boys are also included in the work through adolescent groups. The groups work with boys, aged 10 – 14, with an aim to challenge traditional attitudes about the role of girls and women, at a time when boys tend to gain autonomy, and girls tend to lose it. By challenging these traditional roles, the programme aims to create a safer and more equitable environment for girls and women.
In line with this work we are also one of the founding signatories of the Women, Children and Families’ in Assam Commitment. Together we will tackle some of the most challenging issues affecting women and children, including healthcare, child development and nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene, education and child protection.
Last updated 12th August 2021