CAB president interacted with ECDO’s project participants

On October 18, 2025, Mr. A.H.M. Safiquzzaman, Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment and President of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), visited the Doldoli Tea Garden in Sylhet Sadar Upazila. The visit was organized to observe the educational and social development activities implemented by Ethnic Community Development Organization (ECDO) for tea garden communities. He began the visit by observing the Education Support Centre (ESC), under the project “Primary Level Education Support for Marginalized Children (PLESMC)” implementing by ECDO with the support of Stromme Foundation, Norway to provide learning support to children of tea workers. The Secretary engaged in discussions with the students, asked questions, and encouraged them through various intellectual activities. The initiative was praised for helping children continue their studies, despite the limited resources in the region. One of the students, Susmita Das, who recently completed her SSC with a GPA of 5.00 and got admitted to college with the support of ECDO, shared her gratitude and highlighted how such support can empower many others to achieve academic excellence. Anita Das, a community member, emphasized the urgent need to establish fully government-run primary schools inside the tea gardens, noting that the existing school has only two teachers, which is insufficient to meet the growing educational demand. Following the visit to the Education Support Centre (ESC) operated by ECDO, a brief overview of ECDO’s recent project titled “Leadership Development of Tea Garden Women Workers on Their Rights” was presented by Mr. Momtahinur Rahman Chowdhury,Project Coordinator. This project focused on empowering tea garden women workers by building their leadership capacity and awareness of their rights. As a direct outcome of this initiative, the women workers themselves formed a platform called “Narimancha”, which continues to function even after the project’s conclusion. Immediately after the project presentation, a community dialogue session was held with representatives of Narimancha, where the women shared their experiences, challenges, and ongoing efforts to advocate for their rights and improve their working and living conditions..During the session, several women tea-workers voiced their concerns and needs. Dipna Das from Kewachera Tea Garden pointed out that maternity leave should be extended from the current 4 months to 6 months, aligning with national standards, and also called for a wage increase. Kushum Bhumij raised the issue of poor sanitation facilities at work and the lack of healthcare access, mentioning that only one ambulance is currently shared among three tea gardens, which is inadequate in emergencies. Sumi Nayek, president of Narimancha, shared that while women receive training, they lack proper guidance on how to reach policymakers or channel their concerns effectively. This gap in access to information prevents many from advocating for their rights at the national level. Despite these challenges, the women expressed a strong desire to continue fighting for improvements in their working and living conditions. During the session, Mr. A.H.M. Safiquzzaman acknowledged the deep-rooted challenges faced by tea workers. He said that although Bangladesh has made significant progress, the tea worker community has yet to see meaningful development. However, he remarked that an important change is now visible that tea workers are beginning to raise their voices and advocate for their rights. While implementing their demands poses challenges, the fact that they can now speak openly about their issues is a step forward. The whole session was presided over by Mr. Lakshmikanta Singh, Executive Director of ECDO and moderated by Ms.Nongpoklai Sinha, Coordinator of ECDO. The event also featured special guests including S.M. Nazer Hossain,Vice President, CAB, Ahmed Ekramullah, Executive Director of CAB, Advocate A.H.M. Zafar Chowdhury, Abul Kashem Chowdhury, Union Parishad Member. ECDO remains committed to advancing education, healthcare, and workers’ rights for marginalized communities in tea gardens. This high-level visit reaffirmed the importance of continued advocacy, community support, and government collaboration to bring lasting change to the lives of tea garden workers community.