Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA)
Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA)
BACKGROUND
Regd as a Trade Union under the Indian Trade Unions Act of 1926. Open for membership to self-employed women workers @ Rs.5/- per year Membership growth from 1070 in 1972 to 16,12,200 in 2012
It is a sangam or confluence of three movements Labor movement Co-operative movement Womens movement
Geographical Coverage
Started with organizing in Ahmedabad City Now operates in 14 districts of Gujarat 7 states in India: Gujarat, MP, UP, Bihar, Kerala, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand & west Bengal Other countries South Africa, Yemen, Turkey etc.
93% of the workforce is in the informal economy SEWA organizes informal women workers.
Have the workers organizational strength increased ? Has workers leadership increased ? Have they become self-reliant both collectively and individually?
Financial Sustainability
Over 55% of total costs are covered by membership fees. Grants and donations accounted for the other 45% which are mainly for education and publications International affiliations - Forming affiliations to international labor bodies
Home-based workers like weavers, potters, bidi and agarbatti workers, papad rollers, ready-made garment workers Manual laborers & service providers like construction workers, contract laborers, handcart pullers
Agricultural workers
Sewa Network
Vendor Cooperatives: Kerosene vendors Vegetable suppliers Fish vendors Artisans Coops.: Weavers Bamboo workers Block printers Patchworkers Embroiderers Service Coops. Child care providers Industrial cleaners Wastepaper collectors Community health workers Land & Animal Coops Wasteland and agro-forestry Diary Tree growers Group rallies Establishing nexus Negotiations Lobbying Social security Protests Identity cards Count cases Trade Groups Banks
cooperative
Sewa
Union
Services
Garment stitches Bidi rollers Head loaders Cart pullers Used garment dealers Vendors Domestic workers Incense workers Scrap collectors Construction workers Papad rollers Carpenters Smiths Agricultural Labourers Tobacco processors Fuel traders
Operative since 1992 in collaboration with nationalized insurance companies It operates as a cooperative, and offers the services through SEWA Bank To support women at time of crisis During 2003, it offered insurance to around 1.1 lac members
It also works along with civic authorities to get electricity, water, sanitation, etc., to workers localities.
Vimo SEWA
Outcomes Quantitative
-40 per cent of household resettled --2/3rd of SEWA members entered a new types of Employment -58 percent reported multiple activities across the year (2002) -Mothers who left their children at SEWA day care centre reported an increase in employment -63 percent of SEWA urban members had licenses
Outcomes Quantitative
--Nearly 73 percent of SEWA urban members reported n increase in wages and income -Around 28 percent of women experienced more income after they sent their children to ICDS-SEWA day care centre -Over 2/3rd of SEWA urban members reported that their income has increased after they joined SEWA. -80 percent of SEWA members reported that they earn more now than in the past.
Outcomes Quantitative
-SEWA constructed 5000 pucca houses covering 30 percent of its members who lost their homes in Earthquake -SEWA trained 200 women and 400 men to help in the construction of houses -57 percent of household under the Sukhi Reservoir Resettlement Scheme had acquired pucca houses
Outcomes Quantitative
Knowledge of various possible risks during pregnancy was slightly higher among SEWA rural members than the control group -More numbers of SEWA members had contact with a health worker or visited health facility within 48 hours after delivery Residents of slums who participated in a slum infrastructure project in Ahmadabad reported a decrease in the average monthly expenditure on health
SEWA Stores
Online Marketing