SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITY FOR UPLIFITING LIVELIHOOD -SOUL

My name is Tanmoy Bhaduri. I'm an independent journalist and humanitarian development professional based in Kolkata. A recent visit to Lankapara tea gardens for providing Covid Relief has been an eye-opener for me. The distress of women in that closed tea garden would be visible if anybody visits the place. Women tea garden workers are one of the most marginalized groups in the world. In closed tea gardens, they are subjected to more violence as there are no alternative livelihood options. In order to protect themselves from violence and address their vulnerabilities, the women of Lankapara have come together to form a cooperative. As support to distressed women with an alternate source of income, I would like to introduce a livestock rearing project in association with Anahat For Change Foundation among 20 women initially which will impact the lives of hundred tribal women within 24 months. The significance of the project is though I aim to empower 20 women initially, through the ripple effect, the actual number who will be benefitted is 100. Through the raised fund, I will be able to purchase 20 goats for 20 tribal women and create a multiplier effect in the area.

Problem Background: Lankapara is one of Duncan's closed tea gardens in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated under Madarihat block bordering Bhutan in the Alipurduar district. It has been over a seven-years now since Duncans Industries shut several of its plantations in West Bengal. And the worst hit by the crisis have been the workers in the tea gardens. Around 600 workers became unemployed when Duncans closed the Lankapara tea garden in the Dooars. The beautiful landscape camouflages years of neglect and exploitation, resulting in poor education, health facilities, migration, trafficking, and poverty. Lankapara is predominantly inhabited by tribal (Adivasis) and especially women suffer from gender-based inequality and discrimination. Tribal women of Lankapara have not been able to access any government developmental schemes. COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown have exacerbated their sufferings. 

Strategy taken: Last year around hundred women formed a cooperative and started cultivating mustard on barren community land and earned around sixty thousand rupees after selling mustards in the local market. After the initial success, they want to start livestock rearing but they have no funds to purchase goats.

Objective of the project: 

The major objectives of the project are:

1) To develop skills of women tea garden workers in respect to livestock rearing.

2) To develop alternative livelihood opportunities for the workers.

3) To reduce the incidence of GBV and ensure the overall well-being of tribal women through income generation.

4) To ensure education for their children.

5) To create women empowerment. 

Project Plan: 

Therefore, to help these tribal women to manage and overcome the impact of the pandemic, I propose this project and request funds from individuals, companies, NGOs, and Institutions of Rs. 1,00,000 to support 20 tribal women. The funds will fund commercially sustainable and replicable livestock rearing and conduct entrepreneurial skill development for these hundred tribal women. 

The project plan is to purchase and supply local goats to 20 tribal families. This project will help 20 tribal women in a closed Lankapara tea garden improve their family incomes and expenses related to their education.

20 tribal women are to benefit from the project, especially in the first stage. Around 100 tribal women, indirect beneficiaries are expected to benefit from the project.

Expected Outputs:

1) Improved incomes and proper education for 20 tribal families in the first year and a hundred tribal within by 24 months.

2) Improved incomes will increase tribal women purchasing power to meet competitive resource demand, pay for their children’s education and look after additional family members.

3) Reduced gender-based inequalities and discrimination practices against tribal women.

4) Trained 20 tribal women will become community-owned resource persons (para vets) and disseminate trained skills and knowledge to the rest of the community members for project replication.

5) Access to financial services like opening and maintaining a bank account for savings among tribal women.

Expected Impact: 

A positive change in overall wellbeing in the life of tea garden workers through ensured income and alternative skill development. 

Theory of Change: If tribal women have access and proper skills for alternative livelihood, and they have proper training on financial management, then poverty among tribal families as well as gender-based inequalities will reduce.

Longer-term Impact: 

Project sustainability is underpinned in:

1) Trained tribal women will become community-owned resource persons. They will disseminate trained knowledge and skills to the family members and the entire community.

2) Collective marketing to a potential buyer(s) will be exercised. This collaboration will be maintained and strengthened such that beneficiaries rear goats when assured of the market even at the individual level after funding. 

3) Members of the women cooperative will develop a business plan to guide women in the goat farming, milk business, and with the aid of this plan, they will lobby for other resources from different development partners including the state and district local government for the expansion of the project.

4) Out of the total cost of sales, 50% will be owned by the beneficiary to meet resource demands like food, school fees, the rest 30% will be used for management and expansion of the project. Then 20% will be saved with the existing village banks to enable them to acquire soft loans and begin individual micro-enterprises for increased family income sources.

5) At the end of the project, members will convene a closure meeting in which avenues for extension of the project will be developed and agreed upon based on the savings realized during project implementation yields.