For industrial labourer Jayantiben, work meant erratic schedules and staying away from home for long hours. Over the years, this native of Vansda village in Dudhani, Silvassa (Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli) began to feel an adverse impact on her health due to her work.
As Jayantiben sought an alternative avenue for income, she learnt about Hindustan Unilever’s integrated water conversation project in her village. She was surprised to know that she could grow crops with minimal water and was eager to know more.
When she met women from other districts who had benefitted from water conservation and similar agricultural practices, Jayantiben was convinced she could script her own success story.
She began by growing sweet corn and chillies in her family owned land during the Kharif season. After Jayantiben’s income tripled in the first year, she sowed brinjal, tomatoes and local creepers during the Rabi season. This ensured she had income throughout the year.
Today, as Jayantiben reaps the benefits of better water conservation practices, she aims to pass on the knowledge to her children as well.
About Project Prabhat:
Project Prabhat, the *USLP-linked community development initiative of Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), aims to build sustainable and inclusive communities around HUL sites. In the last five years, through focussed efforts on enhancing livelihood, water conservation and health & well-being, it has touched 2.95 million lives across 30+ locations and has over 5000 HUL employee volunteers involved in it.
*About the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP):
The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) is our blueprint for achieving our vision to grow our business, whilst decoupling our environmental footprint from our growth and increasing our positive social impact. The Plan sets stretching targets, including how we source raw materials and how consumers use our brands. The Plan has three big goals:
- Improving health & well-being for more than 1 billion
- Reducing environmental impact by ½
- Enhancing Livelihoods for millions
Read about the USLP