Assignment Name: Endline Evaluation of the “WaSH for Tea Garden Workers Project”

Country: Bangladesh

Client Name: Institute of Development Affairs (IDEA)

The “WaSH for Tea Garden Workers Project” was designed to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) conditions for tea garden workers in Sylhet, Bangladesh. This project was initiated by the Institute of Development Affairs (IDEA) with funding from WaterAid Bangladesh. The project’s primary goal was to transform the living conditions of tea laborers, who are one of the most marginalized communities, by providing access to safe water, adequate sanitation, and proper hygiene education. The project was implemented in 14 tea gardens within two unions of Sylhet Sadar Upazila, targeting over 17,800 individuals. It aimed to:

• Enhance sustainable access to safe water, improved sanitation, and hygiene practices.
• Develop effective and scalable WaSH technologies for tea garden workers.
• Build institutional capacity among local service providers and duty bearers, such as labor unions, panchayets, and government entities.
• Strengthen the responsiveness and accountability of stakeholders to fulfill WaSH rights.
• Advocate for the recognition of WaSH rights for excluded groups.

Key activities included forming WaSH committees, training members, installing tube wells and hygienic latrines, and conducting awareness campaigns on hygiene practices. The project also promoted behavioral changes through education and engagement, emphasizing community ownership and sustainable practices.

The end-line evaluation, conducted by DM WATCH, aimed to assess the current WaSH situation across four selected tea gardens in Sylhet Sadar Upazila.  The overall objective of the study was to assess the present situation and establish benchmarks of the present status of WaSH situation in terms of access of the tea‐garden workers and their family members to safe water, safe sanitation and in terms of hygiene practice by them in the selected tea gardens in Sylhet.

Specific objectives included:

• To assess the present access scenario of the tea‐garden workers and their families to WaSH Services.
• To assess to what extent the needs of the tea‐garden workers and their families are fulfilled to safe water, safe sanitation and improved hygiene.
• To assess to what extent the rights of the tea‐garden workers and their families to WaSH services are recognized by the duty bearers.
• To assess the level of understanding of the duty bearers about the WaSH needs and rights of the tea‐garden workers and their families.
• To assess the level of responsiveness and accountability of the duty bearers to support the tea garden workers and their families.
• To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of their tea‐garden workers and their families about safe water, safe sanitation and improved hygiene
• To identify underlying causes of exclusion of tea‐garden workers (i.e. lack of land tenure, etc.).
• To identify to what extent the tea‐garden workers have access to other services (i.e. education. Health etc).
• To assess the poverty situation of the tea garden workers.

Inception and Planning:

• Reviewed project documents, baseline data, and midline reports to understand project scope and objectives.
• Designed a robust evaluation framework aligning with project goals and outcomes.
• Developed survey instruments and tools for Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) studies.

Data Collection and Analysis:

• Conducted fieldwork in four selected tea gardens representing diverse implementation outcomes.
• Facilitated FGDs with project beneficiaries, WaSH committee members, and other stakeholders to gather qualitative insights.
• Performed KIIs with government officials, garden authorities, tea labor unions, and community leaders.
• Collected and analyzed quantitative data on WaSH access, usage, and behavioral change using KAP methodologies.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Engaged with community members, including women, adolescents, and disabled individuals, to ensure diverse perspectives.
• Organized sessions with local government entities and tea garden authorities to assess their roles and responsibilities in supporting WaSH initiatives.

Capacity Building:

• Evaluated the training effectiveness for WaSH committee members and community leaders.
• Assessed institutional capacity improvements in local service providers and their responsiveness to WaSH rights.

Behavioral Change Assessment:

• Measured improvements in hygiene practices, such as handwashing, menstrual hygiene management, and waste disposal.
• Examined shifts in community attitudes towards sanitation and safe water usage.

Documentation and Reporting:

• Prepared detailed sector-wise findings, including access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene.
• Identified challenges, such as gaps in infrastructure maintenance and residual behavioral barriers.
• Formulated actionable recommendations for sustaining and scaling project outcomes.

Validation and Dissemination:

• Conducted validation workshops with key stakeholders to refine findings and recommendations.
• Delivered a comprehensive endline report highlighting project achievements, lessons learned, and policy recommendations for integrating WaSH rights into broader development agendas.

This evaluation not only assessed the project’s effectiveness but also provided strategic insights to inform future WaSH interventions for marginalized communities like tea garden workers.