Fairtrade Story: Susheela

Susheela has lived and worked on Dunsandle for 38 years. She and her husband have three daughters. All three attended school in Ooty and are now studying in Coimbatore, which is the nearest big city. Her eldest daughter, Supenya, aged 28, is studying to be an accountant. The second daughter, Indira, aged 20, is doing teacher training and her youngest daughter, Sujita, aged 18, is studying to become a medical assistant. Susheela says “whatever [they] have wanted to study and shown interest in we have let them study.”

The family receives financial support from the Fairtrade Premium to pay for their daughters’ education, which includes bursaries and accommodation costs. Without the support of Fairtrade Premium, meeting these costs would be difficult. For example, the accommodation costs total 6,000 INR a month for all three daughters (it would take Susheela nearly 20 days to earn this as a tea plucker). Of this support she says ‘it is very helpful’. Susheela is very pleased that her children are pursuing other careers and they have been able to be educated, she says ‘we have worked hard. Let the kids lead a comfortable life’.

Susheela has also benefited from the kitchen equipment, purchased with the Fairtrade Premium, such as a rice cooker and a mixer.