The Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD) works for human rights and environmental justice. Financed by European Union and ICCO Cooperation, the project, “Mapping and capacity building of tea plantation workers and little-known ethnic communities of Bangladesh” started in May 2013 for three years to engage in participatory research with the tea plantation workers and the little-known ethnic communities of Bangladesh, raise their issues, and build their capacity.

The tea plantation workers and their communities in “tied” situation in the labor lines of the tea gardens are one of the most marginalized and excluded groups of people in Bangladesh. Among the ethnic communities, there are as many as 60 groups, little-known or invisible to the majority community, and also to the outside world. Capability deprivation of these communities makes their sufferings and the structural abuses generational.

A combination of participatory inventory, investigations, survey, study, and analysis on wage, work, education, and health condition, vulnerability of women and children and other human rights issues of the final beneficiaries of the project will generate information and knowledge, which published, will give a clear map of these communities. The outcomes of research used as campaign tools will educate the majority community and those who take decisions.

Areas of field research: Northwest, North-center, and tea growing areas in the Northeast and Chittagong where the tea plantation workers and little-known ethnic communities live.

Key activities: Mapping, inventory, investigations, and analysis; campaign, advocacy, networking and educational work; publication and production of documentary film, training modules and manuals; organizing training, dialogues, convention, and cultural festival; monitoring of implementation of international and regional instruments and national laws; preparation of political and socio-economic agenda of the tea plantation workers and little-known ethnic communities to highlight their issues, struggles and needs.

This project is a participatory initiative. Together with SEHD, the partner (Gram Bikash Kendra), associates that represent the final beneficiaries, project staff, scholars, other targets, and the final beneficiaries are participating in the implementation of different actions and activities.