Babul Ali and Sunita Begom, workers on the Dikom Tea Estate, Dibrugarh, Assam with their children Jahid Ali; Sashid Ali. They have clean toilets, an immaculate house and a vegetable garden.

Gender Responsive Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

By taking women’s needs into consideration, water, toilets and hygiene can be accessible for all.

A Gender Responsive WASH programme: transforming lives in Assam’s tea communities

The Gender Responsive WASH programme, implemented by Water For People India in partnership with ETP, helped address critical water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) challenges in Assam’s tea estates. Communities faced irregular water supply, inadequate sanitation facilities, poor hygiene practices, and limited menstrual hygiene awareness, disproportionately affecting women and girls. Through social behaviour change communication (SBCC), capacity building of community institutions, and advocacy with local government, the project worked to strengthen WASH access, improve hygiene behaviours, and promote gender equality.

The initiative ensured community ownership, encouraged inclusive participation, and created replicable models of sustainable WASH transformation within tea communities.

  • 2024-2025
  • Status: Completed
Policy
Project
Equality
Empowered safe communities
Equal opportunities
India

Programme overview

The programme aimed to improve WASH conditions across three tea estates in Assam by addressing systemic gaps in access, infrastructure, and behaviour. It adopted a gender-responsive approach, focusing on women and girls’ needs, while mobilising communities, strengthening institutions, and linking with government schemes to build sustainable and scalable WASH models.

Programme partners

Taylors of Harrogate, Unilever

Girdhary Naik and Anita Naik with their new toilet on the Dikom Tea Estate in Assam, India.
  • The programme sought to ensure that tea estate communities had equitable access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities at home and at work.
  • A special emphasis was placed on meeting the practical and strategic WASH needs of women and adolescent girls, whose health, dignity, and participation are disproportionately impacted by WASH deficiencies.
  • Beyond infrastructure, the initiative aimed to embed long-term behaviour change, build local capacity, and strengthen linkages with government schemes like Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission.
  • Ultimately, the programme aspired to create empowered communities capable of sustaining improved WASH outcomes.
Babul Ali and Sunita Begom, workers on the Dikom Tea Estate, Dibrugarh, Assam with their children Jahid Ali; Sashid Ali. They have clean toilets, an immaculate house and a vegetable garden.

The programme integrated Social Art for Behaviour Change (SABC) with grassroots mobilisation to inspire, activate, and sustain improved WASH practices. Street theatre, folk art, films, and murals were co-created with communities to address sensitive topics like menstrual hygiene and open defecation.

Capacity building of Community Development Forums (CDFs), training of trainers, and governance linkages helped ensure local ownership. Interpersonal communication, community meetings, and participatory planning through Gram Panchayat Development Plans further helped strengthen accountability.

By embedding advocacy, creative communication, and community leadership, the programme contributed to ensuring sustainable adoption of behaviours and alignment with government systems for long-term WASH impact.

Babul Ali worker on the Dikom Tea Estate, Dibrugarh, Assam with their children Jahid Ali; Sashid Ali. They have clean toilets, an immaculate house and a vegetable garden.

The programme led to tangible improvements in water access, sanitation, hygiene, and menstrual health across three tea estates.

Dysfunctional Jal Jeevan Mission water schemes were restored, providing a reliable household water supply. Open defecation was eliminated through awareness and improved toilet usage.

Breaking menstrual hygiene taboos encouraged wider adoption of safe practices, including sanitary pad use and safe disposal systems. Women and girls reported increased dignity and reduced school absenteeism.

Community Development Forum (CDF) members emerged as local change agents, sustaining behaviour change and influencing governance.

The “Model Line” approach demonstrated a replicable pathway for community-led WASH transformation, strengthening resilience and social equity.

Our achievements:
88%

of households in model lines now have toilets in use (up from 40% at baseline).

Over 3,634

people reached through 36 street plays addressing WASH and menstrual hygiene.

80%

of adolescent girls gained accurate menstrual hygiene knowledge; school absenteeism reduced by 70–80%. 

2,379

interpersonal communication sessions and 71 community meetings engaged nearly 7,300 people.

100

new toilets committed by the Government under the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Over 50%

functionality improvement in Jal Jeevan Mission schemes, reducing downtime by 80%.

Key contacts

Ranjana Das

Country Manager