by Gaurab Subba

Sonada, November 25, 2019: The Women’s Cell of Salesian College Sonada along with members of Radio Salesian conducted an awareness campaign at a small village located some kilometers away from Sonada town in Munda Tea Estate.

The main objective of the campaign was to create awareness, about human trafficking, domestic violence, women’s health and hygiene, and prevention of child abuse among the remote village people, especially women.

The group also provided help to women living in inaccessible mountain villages by handing over 10 steel stretchers to the Mundakoti Sewa Samity (MSS) so that villagers can use stretchers for emergencies, especially pregnancy related situations and prevent any kind of casualties.

“People living in the craggy slopes of the mountain villages have to carry their sick people in bamboo basket as there are no roads,” said one of the college team members Ms Nomu Sherpa who had earlier surveyed the villages.

Mundakoti Tea Estate is located at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters (6,560 ft) above sea level and covers planted area of approximately 100 hectares and is one of the highest tea plantations located in the world.

The campaign gathering was held at Mundakoti High School ground with teachers helping in smooth conduct of the program.

There were almost 200 people present in the program which included, tea garden working women, school children and village leaders. The Secretary of MSS facilitated the program by assembling the people on time.

The MSS Committee consists of the representatives of 18 villages of Mundakoti area.

At the end of the program a high school student shared some feedback of the campaign saying “women living in the society should raise their voices against the unwanted things happening to them.”

The team that conducted the program consisted of Assistant Professors Ms. Nomu Sherpa, Ms. Pinky Gupta, and Ms. Sreha Agrawal, along with Radio Journalists Smriti and Rejina, and two first semester students of Mass Communication Department Gaurab Subba and Sanjok Tamang.

The campaign was the 3rd activity of the 2nd phase of United Board Hong Kong funded project “Anti Trafficking Awareness among Women and Adolescent Girls of Tribal Community of District Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri.”