The Centre Launches the Child Rights in Business (CRIB) Challenge for Tea Companies based in Sri Lanka

To celebrate the International Tea Day this upcoming May 21st, we want to recognise the efforts of various stakeholders who are working towards improving the lives of children and their families involved in the tea sector. Additionally, it has been a year since The Centre for Child Rights and Business (The Centre) launched the Mother and Child Friendly Seal for Responsible Business initiative. In light of this, we are calling upon tea companies based in Sri Lanka to participate in the Child Rights in Business (CRIB) challenge. 

The objective of the CRIB challenge is for tea companies, including plantation companies, brokers, exporters, brands, to come up with a concept to address a particular issue or challenge that children from their workforce in estates or factories are facing.

The Centre will be select a few innovative ideas and provide support in the form of either funds (ranging from LKR 500,000 to LKR 1 million) and/or technical expertise. Other members of the CRIB Tea portal who are interested in supporting any initiative can express their interest, and the company can then initiate discussions with these interested stakeholders.

To participate in the CRIB challenge, you will need to submit your concept note through the CRIB online portal, which can be accessed on the Mother and Child Friendly Seal for Responsible Business website. To get started, please create your profile on the CRIB Tea portal by logging in to CRIB and upload your concept note under the collaboration space.

For more information on the Mother and Child Friendly Seal for Responsible Business Initiative, please visit https://www.srilankamotherandchildseal.org. 

The timeline of the challenge is as follows:

Concept notes for the challenge can be submitted under the following categories:

To be eligible for this challenge, please ensure that:

• Concept notes can only be submitted by tea companies in Sri Lanka, including RPC, brokers, exporters, and brands.

• The proposed initiative ‘s implementation should be between July and December 2023.

• The company must make at least a 50% financial contribution to the proposed initiative and invest in human resources for the initiative.

The concept note for the initiative must include the following elements:

• Address a specific issue or challenge identified in one of the 7 categories listed earlier, or propose an innovative practice to be piloted within the company.

• Clearly state the theory of change behind the proposed initiative.

• Be a collaborative effort involving a government entity and/or other tea sector companies/ stakeholders and/or development agencies.

• Demonstrate that the initiative is not just business as usual or a regular activity undertaken by the company but an initiative that addresses a particular challenge identified in the aforementioned areas.

• The concept can be part of a larger vision, but the proposed initiative must be a specific one that addresses a particular phase of the larger vision.

• Clearly specify the outputs, results, and indicators of measure.

• Include a workplan with specific activities and timeline.

• The budget should indicate the total financial and human resource contributions, with a breakdown of the company’s and anticipated stakeholders’ contributions.