Impact Project
Farmer’s Emergency Fund
As every family in the world copes with the current Covid-19 crisis, our tea farmers in Eastern Nepal (Panchthar) have been hit hard by the pandemic and are struggling to make ends meets. In order to support our community in such trying times, Nepal Tea Foundation has launched this initiative to support the farmers and their families who are all daily wage earners. The fund will cover 20 families and approximately 100 individuals (including children).
As of May 31, 2020, Province 1, where our farmers reside, has reported 165 Covid-19 positive cases. Additionally, 3,536 province residents are under strict quarantine per Nepali government regulation and supervision. Although the province has not reported any deaths, positive cases have risen steadily. Most importantly, access to food essential has become equally challenging because of the federal lockdown, which is in its 69th day.
Our tea farmers were able to work initially but any export has been halted for more than 2 months. Tea export routes - international flights and cargo businesses - have been at standstill, severely crippling any earning capacity for the farmers.
Through this emergency fund, we will:
1. Compensate lost wages (used to buy daily food essentials) with food essentials (rice, salt, lentils, and oil)
2. Distribute functional protective gears for farming operations
3. Cover medical expenses for farmers and their immediate family if exposed to Covid-19
In collaboration with our partner Nepal Tea LLC, who are covering all relevant administrative and logistical expenses, we primarily aim to cover partial to full “daily wages of the farmers that goes towards buying food essentials. To fight rising food shortages and price inflation that have started to paralyze our working-class farming community, we have planned to stock one month’s daily food essential for 20 families and approximately 100 individuals (including children).
After we have fulfilled stocking food essentials, we intend to invest in supporting our farmers either by supplying functional protective gears or by covering medical expenses in case of Covid-19 outbreak in the community. As some farmers continue to operate putting their lives at stake, it is imperative now more than ever to create a much safer environment to work in. While we intend to make functional protective gears available for all farmers, our team on ground will assess and distribute such gears on need and vulnerability basis.
As we continue to fight this crisis together for our farming community, we will update our donors, supporters and partners on our progress monthly. If you have any question, please feel free to reach out to Nishchal at nbanskota@nepalteallc.com