Page 2 - Rwagashani Tea Plantation
P. 2

Rwagashani Tea Plantation sits on
                                                                           20 acres of land. Tea growing is one
                                                                           of  the  major  activities  of  the
                                                                           Rwagashani Mixed Farm. Started in
                                                                           2017, the tea plantation aimed to kill
                                                                           two birds with one stone — firstly, to
                                                                           provide    the    community     in
                                                                           Rwagashani  with  regular  parttime
                                                                           work to boost their family incomes.

                                                                           Importantly,   Rwagashani     Tea
                                                                           Plantation  also  provides  women
                                                                           with  the  opportunity  to  make  their
                                                                           own  money.  Customarily,  many
                                                                           women  as  stay  home  mothers  or
                                                                           housewives    or   caregivers   in
                                                                           Rwagashani  have  been  limited  to
                                                                           performing   women’s     traditional
                                                                           roles or household chores — often,
                                                                           requiring them to work long hours in
                                                                           and around the home without pay.

                                                                           As never before, women working on
                                                                           the plantation are now in position to
                                                                           contribute  to  their  own  day-to-day
                                                                           needs and to improve their family’s
                                                                           quality of life. This has reduced their
                                                                           dependence  on  men  for  almost
                                                                           everything that costs money.  Men,
                                                                           some  of  together  with  their
                                                                           spouses,   also   work    on   the
               plantation.

               Right from clearing and preparing the land to establish the tea plantation, Rwagashani Mixed
               Farm  management  introduced  equal  employment  opportunity  and  pay  for  men  and  women
               seeking work on the tea plantation. At first, men were not happy to be paid the same daily rate as
               women.  They  interpreted  the  policy  as  working  against  men  who  have  traditionally  been
               associated with the role to work and earn and / or sell things to avail money to meet family needs.
               Little did they know that if, for example, a wife and husband worked and were paid equally well
               their household income would increase.  Previously, the few women who did casual work within
               or outside the community were paid less money than men — even when they did same activity
               for the same duration. With time, men accepted the change; and are now working happily with
               women.




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