The SEWA is one of the successful voluntary trade union organization in India working for empowering the women through self employing.

1. Self Employed Women’s Association
(SEWA)
•By a PPM group at MDI

2. 2
INTRODUCTION
Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA)
is a National Trade Union, established by Ms.
Ela R. Bhatt in 1972
It is a confluence of three movements
 Labour movement
 Co-operative movement
 Women’s movement

3. INTRODUCTION CONTD..
It is a member-based movement of about
19,00,000 poor, informal sector women
workers of India.
SEWA works in 13 states of India
2/3rd
of SEWA members live in rural areas
Members represent more than 125 different
kind of trades
More than 94% of female workers are in the
unorganized sector and their work remains
invisible

4. RATIONALE FOR FORMAITON
 SEWA grew out of the Textile Labour Association founded
in 1920 by a women, Anasuya Sarabhai
 Its original purpose was to assist women belonging to
households of mill workers
 By 1968, classes in sewing, kniting embroidery etc were
established in centers throughout Ahmedabad city for wives
and daughters of mill workers
 In 1971 SEWA was born as a Trade Union with the efforts
of Ela Bhatt, and the president of the TLA, Arvind Buch


5. IMPETUS FOR FORMATION
INTERNAL : The women were from weaker
sections and there was no social , health ,
financial security to them.
EXTERNAL : Exploitation by the contractors ,
employers lead to the consolidation of the
women workers under the leadership of Ms.
Ela Bhatt.

6. ROLE OF LEADERSHIP
 The SEWA was separated from TLA on some conflicting
on reservations related issues
 After the separation from TLA, SEWA grew even faster
and started new initiatives. In particular, the growth of
many new co-operatives, a more militant trade union
and many supportive services has given SEWA a new
shape and direction.
 Leadership has defined the organization’s vision,
established management and behavioral practices that
reduced social distance between corporate
management and grassroots members
 Moreover, effective leadership skills learned by poor
and uneducated women

7. MANDATE
 SEWA is need based and demand driven organization.
 It identifies the needs and issues of the communities and link them
up with government programmes & schemes rather than creating
parallel programmes, this helps in leveraging government resources
 Additionally, provision of need based and demand driven services
like banking, insurance and health care etc led to expansion and
growth of the organization
 SEWA’s founder, Ela Bhatt, realized that self-employed women
were in particularly precarious social and economic conditions
because they were largely illiterate, unaware of their rights, and
were often harassed and exploited by authorities and contractors.
 Self-employed women from diverse backgrounds were organized
“not against anyone”, but “for themselves” , to use their collective
strength to attain social justice and improve their conditions of work
and life

8. ROLE ASSIGNED TO THE CO-OPERATIVE
 More than 100 cooperatives help women improve the marketing,
quality, and design of the handicraft and woven items to ensure
consistency, timely delivery, and salability. Cooperatives also
promote new agricultural products, and techniques that add
value to traditional products. Other cooperatives include a rural
marketing organization and a Trade Facilitation Center.
 Facilitating their access to social security and social protection
through social service organizations
 Advocacting better social protection and labour standards for
them at the macro-level
 Building their capacity through formal education and professional
training
 It has also been a lead advocate for government policies such
as the 2004 “National Policy for Urban Street Vendors”, and the
“Unorganized Workers Social Security Act” adopted in 2008

9. SEWA : A SOCIAL MOVEMENT

10. FACTORS CONTRIBUTED FOR SCALING UP
 Need-based and Demand Driven Approach
Identifies the needs and issues of the communities and link
them up with government programmes & schemes rather than
creating parallel programmes.
services like banking, insurance and health care led to
expansion and growth of the organisation
 Turning disasters into a development opportunity
 Expectation of the Government/ Funding agencies
SEWA started its operations following government invitation
during the drought/rehabilitating the affected families
World bank expectation in case of Grass Root Immersion
Programme

11. FACTORS CONTRIBUTED FOR SCALING UP CONTD…
 Demand from similar institutions in India and Abroad
SEWA provides trainings and exposure visits to the other
organisations working at the grass root level in India and abroad
such as KGVK, Ranchi, training to Afghanistan team, etc
One success leads to another
 Emerging local/ global marketing opportunities
Increased marketing opportunities for the products produced
by the members. SEWA Gram Mahila Haat (SGMH)and SEWA
Trade Facilitation Centre (STFC) were set-up to provide
marketing linkages to the members

12. 12
LESSONS FOR INSTITUTINAL VAIBILITY AND SUCCESS
Empower through organizing
Encourage a demand-driven and need-based
approach
Aim for comprehensive goals
Promote ownership
Ensure self-reliance and sustainability
Maintain strong organizational values
Learn from experiences
Develop a flexible structure

13. NOVEL FEATURES OF THE DESIGN
Democratic procedures , formal election and
governance and based on Gandhian principles.
Take care of both Urban and Rural needs and
struggle for fair treatment and access to
justice, to markets, and to services.
Urban branch - focused on upgrading skills in
changing markets and seeking better wages and
benefits.
Rural branch - targets alternative employment
creation including handicrafts and some high value
crops, reversing a trend toward declining
agricultural wages etc.

14. Emphasis on creating Grassroot Organizations :
for eg. Kutchcraft Association and Sabarkantha
Women Farmer’s Association etc.
Fostering livelihood security - 4 major rural
livelihood initiatives : Artisans Support
Programme , Weavers Support Programme, Salt
Farming and Agriculture – access of MNREGA
scheme .
Market Linkages : SEWA-owned retail outlets in
bigger cities, like BDMSA, Banascraft and
Kutchcraft , SEWA Gram Mahila Haat (SGMH) etc.
SEWA Bank – Microcredit financing to members.
NOVEL FEATURES OF THE DESIGN
CONTD..

15.  Member-based organizations help ensure ownership
and that activities are based on member
demands/needs.
 Values at the core of an organization
 Flexibility in an organization’s style- encourages
experimentation and learning, ability to recognize
crises as opportunities.
 Participatory management and behavioral practices
that close the social distance between members and
managers.
 SEWA is by constitution and registration a trade union,
it is required to file audited annual accounts and the
proceedings of its annual general meeting with the
Government Registrar.
NOVEL FEATURES OF THE DESIGN
CONTD..

16. FACTORS THAT MAY LED TO ITS DECLINE
 Financial viability of various cooperatives and member
services
 SEWA is engaging in new activities like insurance
 Large member numbers may challenge maintaining the flat
structure that today ensures participation at the grass roots
 Conflicting oversight and reporting requirements imposed
by different donors become a major burden?
 Will it be possible to avoid
 political entanglements ?
 Fierce competition from other
 NGOs / SHG in other states.

17. FUTURE STRATEGY AND CONCLUSION
Foreseen Challenges :
 Transition to a new period of leadership and membership
adjusting to the needs of a more literate, educated, aware
and ambitious generation of self-employed women
members
 Financial Viability and reliance on donor funds
SEWA’s new priorities :
 Expanding membership to conflict affected areas
 Strengthening rural banking – Rural Micro finance and
capital formation for rural workers
 Promoting “green” jobs and livelihoods - Haryali attaining
a membership of 2.5 million self-employed women

18. THANK YOU
18