Plantations Communities - Phase II

Results achieved as of March 2013 include: (i) 2 861 entrepreneurs including farmers were given easy access to technical credit and business development services; (ii) 176 unemployed youth completed effective gender sensitive vocational training courses; (iii) 200 male and 24 female supervisors were trained in women’s rights leadership and communication skills and 33 women leaders developed their capacity in industrial relations gender equality and first aid; (iv) 24 tea estates including six targeted by the PCP adopted a policy to ensure that 50% of the plucking supervisors are women by 2015; (v) 16 regional plantation companies formed a national network of Human Resource Management professionals;(vi) residents on eight tea estates obtained access to government registration services and received assistance from 80 trained facilitators; (vii) 1 139 tea estate residents (412 females/727 males) obtained identification documents; (viii) residents from 25 of 44 participating tea estates obtained access to medical services; (ix) 1 234 women on 11 tea estates adopted low-cost nutritional food preparation techniques; (x) 444 community-based activities such as home gardening group savings were initiated); (xi) 2 750 tea estate workers staff and managers surveyed demonstrated more positive attitudes towards industrial relations and working conditions; (xii) 182 workers gained on average an additional Rs. 5 040 per month; and (xiii) 117 youth found work outside of the tea estates. These are contributing to better working conditions on plantations and better opportunities for women and men living on and around plantations to earn a living exercise their rights and participate as viable actors in their own development.