PRESENTATION ONPRESENTATION ON

Empowerment of Poor Women on a Large Scale

Carried out bySelf Employed Women’s Association

(SEWA)

Flow Flow About SEWA

◦ Goal ◦ Movement◦ Activity 

Research methodology ◦ Objective◦   Research Technique ◦ Limitation of study◦   Data collection◦   Findings◦   Conclusion

Bibliography

Self Employed Women’s Association

SEWA is a National Trade Union Established by Shri Elaben Bhatt in 1972

An organisation of poor, self-employed women workers

Who earn a living through their own labour or small businesses

They are the unprotected labour force of our country

93% of the workforce is in the informal economy93% of the workforce is in the informal economySEWA organises informal women workers.SEWA organises informal women workers.

THE INFORMAL ECONOMYTHE INFORMAL ECONOMY

SEWA’S GOALSSEWA’S GOALS

Full Employment

◦Food Security

◦Social Security - health care - child care - insurance - shelter - pension

Self-Reliance

◦ Economic◦ Decision-making

and control

Is the organisation is in the direction of this two

goal ?

To find out its performance constant

monitoring and evaluation is necessary

SEWA’s Eleven questionSEWA’s Eleven question

1. Have more members obtained more employment ?2. Has their income increased ?3. Have they obtained food and nutrition ?4. Has their health been safeguarded ?5. Have they obtained child-care?6. Have they obtained or improved their housing ?7. Have their assets increased ? (e.g. their own

savings, land, house, work-space, tools or work, licenses, identity cards, cattled and share in cooperatives; and all in their own name.

8. Have the worker’s organisational strength increased ?

9. Has worker’s leadership increased ?

10. Have they become self-reliant both

collectively and individually?

11. Have they become literate?

SEWA movementSEWA movement SEWA adopts an Integrated & Need based Approach to Organizing It is a member-based movement of about 7,00,000 poor, informal

sector women workers of India

Works in 7 states of India 14 districts of Gujarat, covering 50% of the State of Gujarat

SEWA’s membership in Gujarat – 5,35,674 2/3rd of SEWA members live in rural areas

Members represent more than 125 different kind of trades There are about 3500 local producers groups and 9 Economic

Federation

It is a sangam or confluence of three movements

◦ Labour movement

◦ Co-operative movement

◦ Women’s movement

Scaling-up in the Recent Past• Membership Growth in Gujarat

– From 1070 in 1972 to 535674 in 2007

Sheet

Geographical CoverageGeographical Coverage

◦Started with organizing in Ahmedabad City

◦Now operates in 14 districts of Gujarat

◦7 states in India◦Other countries – South Africa,

Yemen, Turkey etc.

ActivityActivityMembers work◦ In markets, in their own home, in

fields others and their own, in forests, on riverbanks and in the desert.

The members are divided in 4 categories

◦ Home based workers◦ Vendors or Hawkers◦ Manual laborers ◦ service providers and Producers

◦Supportive activities includes Organizing the informal Sector women

into their own organizations Capacity Building Livelihood security activities ( child care

) Marketing Services Financial Services ( insurance , banks ) Social Security Activities

Video

To fulfill the requirement of unemployed women SEWA provides education and training. So that poor women can get work and serve their purpose.

Following activities are carried for the upliftment of women in societyA.Vocational training

B.Capacity buiding training

Vocational training

By upgrading women’s existing skills, SEWA’s vocational training can increase women’s earning potential and security.

Vocational training programmes are carefully planned with women’s needs and emerging market realities in mind.

Programs are developed in partnership with supportive, skilled instructors.

Capacity buiding training

Capacity building programs can roughly be

divided into ◦leadership ◦technical◦exposure and dialogue program◦non-formal education program

leadershipleadershipLeadership training programmes

form the essential core capacity building program

They ensure that the basic framework, vision and strategies of the movement are understood by all and that women are able to deliver this message to other women, policy makers, and the world as leaders.

technicalToday's world is unforeseen without

Information Technology where computer's is a must.

New generation is moving a step further towards Information Technology field. The women from the informal sector need to be trained so that their future can be brightened up.

SEWA Academy offers MS Office at basic level and DTP and Tally at advanced level

EDP programEDP programParticipants live with a SEWA member and

follow her daily activities for three days and nights.

After the visit, the participants and women come together to share their experiences, analyse the policies and structures contributing to poverty, and develop alternate approaches that meet real needs.

EDP helps participants move beyond a theoretical, abstract understanding to experience first-hand the realities of village life, the needs of self-employed women, and the effect of SEWA’s services, and the strengths of the women.

Research MethodologyResearch Methodology

Scope Scope

As we know about the Indian economy. We face major problem about 3 P’s, which is Poverty, Population and Politics as well as unemployment is also our major problem.

Our NGO SEWA providing the education & training to the women basically from the rural areas. They try to minimize the unemployment problem for women.

Research objectiveResearch objective

To understand working of self employed woman’s association, and activities carried by its Academy centre,

Its contribution to the society and especially for woman employment.

By doing this project and visiting the self employed woman’s association, and Academy center we can understand that how can poor people or illiiterate people can work and head of N.G.O. managed the people in large number.

Data sources

Primary data

- Collected through personal visit & interview

of Mentor & womanSecondary data - Through broacher & website of NGO

Research methods Exploratory Research

LimitationLimitationManagement are not willing to share

internal details

Can’t visit the work place of SEWA

Time constraint during the project was one of the limitations because the college working hours and NGO’s working hours are clash

Data collection Data collection

Personal Interview Miss. Rahima medam ( Retired Secretory of SEWA trade facility

centre , Laldarwaja ) Miss. Reema Kapoor ( Mentor, SEWA Academy, Ellisbridge )

Miss Subhra medam(Mentor, SEWA trade facility centre ,

Laldarwaja )

Cases through net Cases through net

Hansaben is a trainer in SEWA’s production unit.

Having three children

She was a read made garment worker (stitched traditional garments )

She was contacted by the SEWA organizers for a survey being conducted to enable them to understand how to provide sustainable income to traditional ready-made garment

She was selected for the training program at NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology) and received intensive training in using state of the art technology in stitching and finishing

Nowadays she can earn about Rs.3000 pm

As per her words “ SEWA has made a tremendous

change in my life, and now I am earning

enough to sustain my family and provide

my children with two square meals ”

FindingsFindings

SEWA motivates & helps unemployed women to be self reliable

SEWA provide full support in marketing of hand craft product.

SEWA doesn’t directly approach to the women but at the initial stage its special research team collects information about that particular area and women who are poor and unemployed.

According to findings of that survey SEWA decide to launch their activities in that are.

This research carried by SEWA , using managerial knowledge definitely helped women and they can get maximum advantage of the activities carried by SEWA.

ConclusionConclusion The Task force and Trade Security

Fund must be formed keeping in mind the long term implications of women’s participation in trade as driving force for economic growth and development.

Linkages have to be established with private sector and civil society organizations. Such partnerships should address the needs of all the stakeholders involved, thus creating a win-win situation for high economic growth and development.

BibliographyBibliography Annual Report of SEWA

Broacher of SEWA Academy

www.sewa.org

www.sewaacademy.org

www.sewaresearch.org