The power of girls

ETP and UNICEF have been working together since 2014 to support people living in tea estates in Assam, India through the Improving Lives Programme.

The partnership addresses daily hardships faced by children, women, and families working in tea. Improving their access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities has been a vital component.

Ending open defecation

Going to the toilet outside causes health problems in communities. Open defecation contaminates public areas and sources of water, leading to waterborne diseases, and sickness.

A safely constructed toilet and a place to wash hands therefore becomes a simple, sustainable health intervention. But people’s habits can be harder to change.

Working alongside the Assam Branch Indian Tea Association (ABITA), the Improving Lives Programme has set out to make 205 tea estates in Assam open defecation free.

One effective way has been through setting up dedicated girls’ clubs teaching life skills. As girls learn ways to protect their own health and dignity, many naturally go on to change minds and behaviours across their communities.

Meet Supriya

Supriya, 14, lives on Deohall Tea Estate. She joined her local girls’ club back in 2018, attending its weekly meetings. After the group held sessions on the importance of WASH, Supriya says she found the courage to speak up and convince her family to build their own toilet.

“My mother and I understood the lack of toilets at home is the primary reason [for] open defecation,” she explains.

“Besides, for a woman, household toilets reduce the risk of harassment and [increase] safety.”

Change agents

Having convinced her family to build a toilet, Supriya is now determined to improve the lives of her neighbours in the tea estate. And she has experienced a personal transformation in the process.

“Sewali Didi [a community organiser] trained me and has also been guiding me. Initially, I was less confident, even to step out of my house. I always used to think about what people might say to me.

“But now I feel so empowered, because I have changed my family’s mindset and have constructed a toilet for us.”

Together with her friends, she is raising awareness of the connection between poor sanitation and waterborne diseases like diarrhoea and cholera. “Our club is educating the community. We are informing them about hygiene practices and key WASH messages, so they can stay safe and healthy.”

Next generations

The Improving Lives Programme has made significant progress across Assam’s tea estates. 285 households are now connected to taps, more than 9,000 toilets have been built or reburfished, and over 1,500 hygiene stations have been installed in workplaces.

But perhaps it is the 5,478 local handwashing facilities developed by adolescents like Supriya that best suggest what a sustainable future looks like for Assam – one fuelled by young understanding and passion.

For Supriya, its importance and impact couldn’t be clearer. “I love this work,” she told us. “I love everything about it.”