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Self Employed Womens Association (SEWA)

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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

BACKGROUND

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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.

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THE INFORMAL ECONOMY

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

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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 ?

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Have the workers organizational strength increased ?

Has workers leadership increased ?

Have they become self-reliant both collectively and individually?

Have they become literate?

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Financial Sustainability

Over 55% of total costs are covered by membership fees. Grants and donationsaccounted for the other 45% which are mainly for education and publications

International affiliations - Forming affiliations to international labor bodies

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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

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Sewa Network

Vendor Cooperatives :

Kerosene vendorsVegetable suppliersFish vendors

Artisans Coops. :WeaversBamboo workersBlock printers

PatchworkersEmbroiderers

Service Coops.Child care providersIndustrial cleanersWastepaper collectorsCommunity healthworkers

Land & Animal CoopsWasteland andagro-forestryDiaryTree growers

Group ralliesEstablishing nexusNegotiations

LobbyingSocial securityProtestsIdentity cardsCount cases

Trade Groups

Garment stitchesBidi rollersHead loadersCart pullersUsed garment dealersVendorsDomestic workers

Incense workersScrap collectorsConstruction workersPapad rollersCarpentersSmithsAgricultural LabourersTobacco processorsFuel traders

Sewa

cooperative

Union

Services

Banks

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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

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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 Rs74per household

Approach: Health education, immunization,sanitation activities, Family planning, educationalhealth care, promotion of low cost traditionalmedicine & health centres

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Sewa Support Services contd

Child Care Child Care Centers take care of thechildren, during the working hours for

the working women.

SEWA operates 73 such centers

Centers provide healthcare, basiceducation, meal for the children, andcounseling to mothers

Sewa insurance Scheme Operative since 1992 in collaboration withnationalized insurance companies

It operates as a cooperative, and offers theservices through SEWA Bank

To support women at time of crisis

During 2003, it offered insurance to around

1.1 lac members

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Sewa support Services contd

Capacity Building of Sewa members Through Sewa Academy(membersuniversity)

Issues covered: organizing, role ineconomy, women movement & value ofSewa movement

Other activities: Training, Literacy &communication through print & electronicmedia

Housing & Infrastructure Gujarat Mahila Housing SEWA Trustprovides loans to members to build and

repair their houses.

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

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SEWA Sister Organizations

Sewa Academy

Sewa Communication

Shri Mahila Sewa Anasooya

trust

Sewa Research

Gujarat state women SEWAcooperative federation limited

Vimo SEWA

Sewa Housing

Sewa Trade facilitation Centre

Sewa Manager Ni school

Sewa ICT

Sewa Nirman constructionworkers company limited

Sewa Ecotourism

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Qualitative & Quantitative impact of Sewa

Determinant OutcomesQualitative Quantitative

Employment -Increase in theregularity or security ofwork-Increase in employment

and incomes-Increase in workinghours-Licenses forprimaryactivity

-40 per cent of householdresettled--2/3rd of SEWA membersentered a new types of

Employment

-58 percent reported multipleactivities across the year(2002)

-Mothers who left theirchildren at SEWA day carecentre reported an increasein employment

-63 percent of SEWA urbanmembers had licenses

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Qualitative & Quantitative impact of Sewa contd

Determinant OutcomesQualitative Quantitative

Income -Credit and savingservices of SEWA haveraised household andindividuals income

-Housing improvementswere found to haveincreased the averagenumber of workinghours and consequentlythe incomes.

--Nearly 73 percent of SEWAurban members reported nincrease in wages and income

-Around 28 percent of womenexperienced more incomeafter they sent their childrento ICDS-SEWA day carecentre-Over 2/3rd of SEWA urbanmembers reported that theirincome has increased afterthey joined SEWA.

-80 percent of SEWA membersreported that they earnmore now than in the past.

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Qualitative & Quantitative impact of Sewa contd

Determinant Outcomes

Qualitative Quantitative

Housing -SEWA bank andHousing Trust haveentered into partnershipswith government andprivate sector to provideinfrastructure services toslums in Ahmedabadcity.-SEWA provide housingto targeted populationwho are resettledbecause of thedevelopmental activities

-More SEWA membershave renovated theirhouses

-SEWA constructed 5000 puccahouses covering 30percent of its members wholost their homes inEarthquake

-SEWA trained 200 women and400 men to help in theconstruction of houses

-57 percent of household underthe Sukhi ReservoirResettlement Scheme hadacquired pucca houses

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Qualitative & Quantitative impact of Sewa contd

Determinant Outcomes

Qualitative Quantitative

Health Care -Reduction in healthRisks

-Reduction in health

Expenditures

-Increased healthinsurance coverage

Knowledge of various possiblerisks during pregnancywas slightly higher among SEWArural members thanthe control group

-More numbers of SEWAmembers had contact with ahealth worker or visited healthfacility within 48 hoursafter delivery

Residents of slums whoparticipated in a sluminfrastructure project inAhmadabad reported a decreasein the average monthlyexpenditure on health

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What SEWA can do Further?

SEWA Stores Online Marketing