Twinings and UNICEF are working together to improve the lives of the most vulnerable women and children living in 63 tea gardens in Assam, which have a total population of 350,000. Our partnership has already reached over 34,000 adolescent girls, through nutrition, empowerment and protection interventions.
Through our active presence on the ground, we identified that because of the lack of access to education, early employment opportunities and robust child protection measures, girls and young women like Binita, who live on the estates with their parents, are more likely to enter into marriage at a young age, or be trafficked. This, combined with high rates of anaemia, often leads to high maternal mortality rates, under-nourishment and low learning levels.
Our programme with UNICEF has established a number of Adolescent Groups (AGG) on the estates. Girls in particular benefit from weekly life skills training sessions (critical thinking; confidence and self-esteem), as well as a place where they can discuss important topics.