Growing up in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Vijaya didn’t have the chance to continue her education. ‘My parents couldn’t afford to let me study beyond [14 years of age],’ she recalls. She watched her mother endure difficult farm labour, an experience that stayed with her: when she had daughters of her own, she resolved to give them the education she never had. 

Determined to give her daughters the opportunities they deserve, Vijaya used the Fairtrade Premium – an additional sum of money paid on top of the Fairtrade Minimum Price – to support their education. Each child received annual funding from their first year through secondary school and college. Vijaya beams with pride when thinking about the results of her own hard work: one daughter is now an engineer, and the other a nurse. 

Her determination reflects a wider truth: in global agriculture, women grow much of the world’s food – between 60–80% - yet often have the fewest opportunities. Supporting her children into stable careers was not just about avoiding the tough realities of tea farming, it was about her girls having independence and choices, and the belief that ‘they should rely on themselves’.

Healthcare has been another defining part of Vijaya’s story. Tea plucking involves long hours standing on uneven, slippery ground. Injuries can be common. When Vijaya suffered a serious fall, injuring her legs and hands, she was able to access immediate treatment through Fairtrade-supported medical support. For her, this made the difference between returning to work and being forced to stop entirely. 

Vijaya mentions that this isn’t the case everywhere: on many non Fairtrade estates, workers struggle without medical care, clean water or support for their children’s schooling. For Vijaya, these basics have supported her daughters grow into an engineer and a nurse — and helped her achieve the future she imagined for them.

Vijaya is a mother who wanted her children to step into adulthood with choices she never had – and through education, healthcare and the resilience she has built over 19 years of hard work, she is proud to have made that vision a reality.

In Vijaya’s words:

Can you describe a typical day in your life?

‘I wake up at 5am in the morning… make food for the children, send them to school, and then I come to work. At 10am we have a tea break, then work again until lunch… then we leave at 5am. Then I go home, make dinner, take care of the kids, and sleep!’

What does education mean to you as a mother? 

‘Girls should study… we want them to take their life in their own hands and take care of their future. If their husbands cannot lead a good life, they should be able to stand on their own. … That’s why we encourage them to study’

Why were you determined that your daughters continue their studies?

‘My parents couldn’t afford to let me study [14 years of age]. We made our children study because we thought they shouldn’t have to suffer like we do.”

What was it like watching them grow into their careers? 

‘I am very happy that I could educate my two children… now the elder girl goes for work and helped educate her younger sister. We are very happy… If our son studies well and gets a job, then we will be at peace.”

You’ve worked on the tea fields for 19 years. What keeps you going?

‘Even though it’s hard, we work for the sake of our children. We want them to be in a better situation.’

Do you like drinking the tea you grow? 

‘We like to drink tea… it gives us good energy in the morning, and we’ll only do a good job if we drink tea.’