South Asia Briefing Unit 3 - Sewa - Unleashing women's creativity

Trusteeship
The Hunger Project Online Briefing Program
People-Centered Development
Page 13 of 24
Scale

6. Unleashing Women's Creativity: Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA)

One of the most well-known movements advocating local women’s empowerment in India is the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA). SEWA focuses on the hard work and creativity of women – working in solidarity – for the benefit of society.

From a miserable passive acceptance of all the injustices, SEWA women, by organizing themselves, have attained the courage to stand up and fight, the ability to think, act, react, manage and lead. Self-reliance is what they ultimately want. There is no development without self-reliance. But there is no route to self-reliance except by organization.

- Ela Bhatt, founder of SEWA

Unrecognized producers

Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) is an organization of women working for economic justice and self-reliance.
In many parts of India, 90% of all production takes place in the "unorganized" sector, where women do the more than half of the work.
SEWA organizes women who work "informally" - in the home, in the streets of cities, and in the fields - where their work often goes unacknowledged and underpaid.
SEWA was founded by Ela Bhatt, a lawyer and social worker in Ahmedabad, India. As chief of the women’s Textile Labor Association, she became aware of the conditions suffered by poor, self-employed women.
In 1972, she set up SEWA, which she registered with the government as a small trade union. In 1974, it established its own bank, which today has 70,000 accounts. By December 1995, SEWA's members numbered 218,700, making it the largest single union in India.
SEWA’s work is deeply rooted in the Gandhian tradition. According to Ela Bhatt, Gandhi did not wait for miracles in his work against powerful social forces, but took action to create a new future.
SEWA women recognize that no miracles will change their lives, and they persevere in their day-to-day struggle toward self-reliance.

Economic development is personal development

I saw that women everywhere are ready to take leadership. In every group we met, there were women whose eyes were burning with an inner fire. If these women are reached and encouraged, it is they who will be our future leaders. - Ela Bhatt

SEWA's primary focus is economic development, including provision of credit. It asserts that when women are economically empowered, self-confidence and self-reliance are born.
Based on the strength of this achievement, women can then demand other rights such as health, shelter, literacy and education.

Organization

According to SEWA, the only way to bring change is to organize, organize, and organize some more. Its members work together as equals, building their confidence and solving problems collectively that they could not address as individuals.

Ela Bhatt (left) explains, Once a woman sees she is one of many, she comes to understand how deeply the exploitation runs in the system, and how she, along with so many sisters, should be getting a better deal for their labor.

She then says, loudly, clearly, ‘I am a worker. Recognize me. I work at home (or in the market. Or in the fields). Recognize my workplace. Grant us the protection we need in our work. We want dignity, not desperation—our work should provide us this.’

And from this place, her strength becomes infectious, and she stands with her sisters saying, 'We will plan the agenda for change. We will sit and decide our priorities. And we will manifest the changes!'

Next month’s unit of the online briefing program will look in depth at the contributions of women as the key to ending hunger.

Trusteeship

The Hunger Project Online Briefing Program
People-Centered Development
Page 13 of 24

Scale