Fresh, nutritious food being prepared at the community kitchen of Dambatenne Estate, Nuwara Eliya District, Sri Lanka. Image: ETP

Women of Tea

A holistic nutrition improvement programme supporting women across seven tea estates in Sri Lanka

Protecting tea workers’ health and development through community solutions

5% of global tea production originates in Sri Lanka, where the industry employs nearly one million people.

However, diets are a big concern for communities living and working on tea estates. Anaemia rates are high due to poor nutrition, and mothers, in particular, tend to be underweight.

Working with The Republic of Tea, we are improving the nutrition and health of seven Sri Lankan tea estate communities, with a particular focus on women.

2017-2023
Status: On-track

Project

Equality

Empowered safe communities

Equal opportunities

Sri Lanka

Project overview

Strengthening local community gardens and kitchens established to provide nutrition, wellbeing and financial support for women in tea communities.

Project partners

The Republic of Tea and ETP core funding

Ganga, Mani and Malli working at the community kitchen of Dambatenne Estate, Nuwara Eliya District, Sri Lanka. Image: ETP

Women of Tea aims to improve the nutrition and health of tea communities through community kitchens and gardens in seven tea estates.

The kitchens are located within the grounds of tea estates – a first for the region – and therefore easier for workers to access. Meals are made using produce mainly grown on estate kitchen gardens, making it more sustainable, accessible, and affordable to estate residents,

The kitchens are also operated by women from the estate community, providing them with valuable sources of income.

The community kitchen of Kotiyagalla Estate, Nuwara Eliya District, Sri Lanka. Image: ETP

We have been working with the PALM foundation, a community development organisation with expertise in delivering nutrition programmes for communities in Sri Lanka. A nutritionist from the Plantation Human Development Trust has also been supporting the initiative’s long-term sustainability.

The final phase now focuses on strengthening the seven community kitchens established with PALM. This has involved us providing financial training to women running the kitchens, and seeds and training to tea workers, so they can set up their own kitchen gardens on plots at home.

Fresh, nutritious food being cooked at the community kitchen of Dambatenne Estate, Nuwara Eliya District, Sri Lanka. Image: ETP

Women of Tea has worked with more than 11,000 people to:

Improve women’s health through more varied diets.
Provide training on mother and child nutrition.
Establish community kitchens for tea estate residents and workers, giving them access to nutritious affordable food.
Construct and repair toilets – vital to prevent diarrhoea and protect good health within communities.

Additionally, the number of people setting up their own kitchen gardens has increased by 35%, and nearly 70% of participants with gardens have established their own kitchen gardens at home.