The plantation industry has a long history in Sri Lanka and forms a huge swathe economy and is an important source of foreign currency: generating about USD 700 million annually, about 15% of the GDP of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is one of the world’s main producers and exporters of tea. However, the plantation worker community has received disproportionately little compensation and is a large, underprivileged sector of society with social indicators significantly below national averages. The plantation worker community is a largely Tamil community who were brought by the British as a labour force during Sri Lanka’s colonial period. Long isolated, they face many difficulties that require an inter-sectorial approach to interventions. Plantations extend for 75,709 acres in Badulla District and 2,279 acres in Monaragala District with 18.4% of the population in Badulla and 1.9% in Monaragala working in them. The relatively cool climate of Badulla District provides ideal conditions for the growth of tea crops.

The plantation worker community is regarded by AGSL as an integral part of its interventions in Uva Province and with the cooperation of it its local, national and international partners which include local government authorities, the regional plantation companies the Plantation Human Development Trust and the Power Foundation.

The formation of a plantation sub-committee, whose members are 20 main stakeholders in the plantation sector, was facilitated by AGSL. The sub-committee is chaired by the Secretary to the Uva Provincial Ministry of Infrastructure. The sub-committee was responsible for the selection of 4 estates, Roeberry, Dambetenne, Spring Valley and Ledgerwatta, which it finds most suitable for the interventions AGSL has planned.

AGSL is poised to begin implementation of interventions in four selected estates under following areas:

 Sports and Youth Mobilisation

• Upgrading and Construction of four volleyball courts, together with the Ministry of and the facilitation of sports activities
• Facilitation of social mobilisation and organisation amongst the youth community in the estates
• Facilitation of youth participation in educational and recreational activities such as arts and culture, readers’ circles and a children’s parliament

 Awareness Programmes

• Cash management
• Governance
• Reproductive health
• Entertainment education for children
• Entrepreneurship
• Information technology

 Education and Child Care

• Renovation of sanitary facilities in and provision of child-friendly equipment to the crèches
• Refresher training to crèche attendants and midwives
• Refresher training to estate preschool teachers
  

 Governance

• Establishment of a permanent address system
• PRA activities, social mapping, and the preparation of combined report on baseline status of the plantation worker community
• Printing and disseminating a booklet on good governance

AGSL focal point for Plantation Sector: Mr. K. K. P. Gowrishankar District Development Officer AGSL- Uva Province Local Working Group E-mail: agsl.gowri@gmail.com  Tel:  +94 55 222 24 07