Self Employed Womens 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.

THE INFORMAL ECONOMY

93% of the workforce is in the informal economy SEWA organizes informal women workers.

SEWAs Eleven questions

Have more members obtained more employment ? Has their income increased ? Have they obtained food and nutrition ?

Has their health been safeguarded ?

Have they obtained child-care?

Have they obtained or improved their housing ?

Have their assets increased ?

Have the workers organizational strength increased ? Has workers leadership increased ? Have they become self-reliant both collectively and individually?

Have they become literate?

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

Membership Self-employed workers

Hawkers, vendors, small business women like vegetable, fruit, fish, egg and
other vendors of food items

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

Sewa Movement(in Gujarat)

Cooperatives (84 Cooperatives with 11,610 members)

DWCRA (rural producers') Groups (181 Groups with 2,981 members)

Social Security Organizations (6 organizations)

Savings and Credit Groups

Sewa Support Services

SEWA BANK Largest corporative of Sewa members Owned by self employed womens Established in 1974 with 4000 members 60,720 members in 2008 with profit of 52,41000 Health Care As cooperative consist of midwives, health workers cum educators Average healthcare expenses from Rs131 to Rs74 per household Approach: Health education, immunization, sanitation activities, Family planning, educational health care, promotion of low cost traditional medicine & health centres

Sewa Support Services contd

Child Care Child Care Centers take care of the children, during the working hours for the working women.

SEWA operates 73 such centers

Centers provide healthcare, basic education, meal for the children, and counseling to mothers

Sewa insurance Scheme

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

Sewa support Services contd

Capacity Building of Sewa members Through Sewa Academy(members university) Issues covered: organizing, role in economy, women movement & value of Sewa movement Other activities: Training, Literacy & communication through print & electronic media Housing & Infrastructure Gujarat Mahila Housing SEWA Trust provides loans to members to build and repair their houses.

It also works along with civic authorities to get electricity, water, sanitation, etc., to workers localities.

SEWA Sister Organizations

Sewa Academy Sewa Communication Shri Mahila Sewa Anasooya trust Sewa Research Gujarat state women SEWA cooperative federation limited Sewa Nirman construction workers company limited Sewa Ecotourism Sewa Housing

Sewa Trade facilitation Centre

Sewa Manager Ni school Sewa ICT

Vimo SEWA

Qualitative & Quantitative impact of Sewa

Determinant Qualitative Employment
-Increase in the regularity or security of work -Increase in employment and incomes -Increase in working hours -Licenses for primary activity

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

Qualitative & Quantitative impact of Sewa contd

Determinant Qualitative Income
-Credit and saving services of SEWA have raised household and individuals income -Housing improvements were found to have increased the average number of working hours and consequently the incomes.

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.

Qualitative & Quantitative impact of Sewa contd

Determinant Qualitative Housing
-SEWA bank and Housing Trust have entered into partnerships with government and private sector to provide infrastructure services to slums in Ahmedabad city. -SEWA provide housing to targeted population who are resettled because of the developmental activities -More SEWA members have renovated their houses

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

Qualitative & Quantitative impact of Sewa contd

Determinant Qualitative Health Care
-Reduction in health

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

Risks -Reduction in health Expenditures

-Increased health insurance coverage

What SEWA can do Further?

SEWA Stores

Online Marketing