ela bhatt entrepreneur

7/28/2019 Ela Bhatt Entrepreneur

1/24

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Submitted by

Miss. MAYURI PANDURANG KOLI

ACADEMIC YEAR: 2012-2013

Under the Guidance of

PROF. NILESH MANORE

J.B.S.P .SANSTHAS

C.K.T. Institute Of Management Studies & Research,

Plot No.-1 & 4, Sector-11, Khanda Colony, New

Panvel [W]410206


2/24

ELA BHATT

ELA BHATT was Born on 7 September 1933(age 79) Ahmadabad, Gujarat.

Nationality Indian & Citizenship is Indian. Education is B.A.LL.B; Diploma of

labor & cooperatives; Alma mater Sarvajanik Girls high school, Surat; M. T. B.

college, Surat; Afro Asian institute of labor & cooperatives, Tel Aviv. Occupation

is lawyer, Philanthropist, Activist. Organization is SEWA, The Elders. She is

popularly known for founded of SEWA. Spoues is Ramesh Bhatt. Parents are

Sumantrai Bhatt, Vanalila Vyas.

Awards :-

Padmashri 1985 Padma Bhushan 1986 Ramon Magsaysay award 1977


3/24

Right livelihood award 1984 Doctorate degree in humane letters, Harvard University 2001

Early life :-

Ela Bhatt was born in Ahmedabad in India. Her childhood was spent in the city

ofSurat. Her father, Sumantrai Bhatt, had a successful law practice. Her mother,

Vanalila Vyas, was active in the women's movement. Bhatt attended the Sarvajanik

Girls High School in Surat from 1940 to 1948. She received her Bachelor of Arts

degree from the M.T.B. College in Surat in 1952. Following graduation Ela

entered the Sir L. A. Shah Law College in Ahmedabad. In 1954 she received her

degree in law and a Gold Medal for her work on Hindu Law. She then taught

English for a short time at SNDT Women's University, better known as SNDT,

in Mumbai. But in 1955 she joined the legal department of the Textile Labour

Association (TLA) in Ahmedabad.

Current Life :-

Ela Bhatt currently lives in Ahmedabad, Gujarat with her family.

TLA and SEWA:-

In 1956, Ela Bhatt married Ramesh Bhatt (now deceased). After working for some

time with the Gujaratgovernment, Ela was asked by the TLA to head its women's

wing in 1968. In this connection she went to Israelwhere she studied at the Afro-

Asian Institute of Labor and Cooperatives in Tel Aviv for three months, receiving

the International Diploma of Labor and Cooperatives in 1971. She was very much

influenced by the fact that thousands of female textile workers worked elsewhere

to supplement the family income, but there were state laws protecting only those
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmedabadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surathttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sir_L._A._Shah_Law_College&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNDT_Women%27s_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNDThttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbaihttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Textile_Labour_Association&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Textile_Labour_Association&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmedabadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmedabadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Avivhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Avivhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmedabadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmedabadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Textile_Labour_Association&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Textile_Labour_Association&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbaihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNDThttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNDT_Women%27s_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sir_L._A._Shah_Law_College&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmedabad


4/24

who were solely industrial workers and not these self-employed women. So with

the co-operation ofArvind Buch, the then president of TLA, Ela Bhatt undertook

to organize these self-employed women into a union under the auspices of the

Women's Wing of the TLA. Then in 1972 the Self-Employed Women's

Association (SEWA) was established with Buch as president and she herself as the

general-secretary.

Other work and awards :-

She was one of the founders ofWomen's World Banking in 1979 with Esther

Ocloo and Michaela Walsh, and served as its chair from 1980 to 1998. She hasserved as Chair of the SEWA Cooperative Bank, of HomeNet, of the International

Alliance of Street Vendors, and ofWIEGO.

She was also a trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation.

She was granted an honorary Doctorate degree in Humane Letters by Harvard

University in June 2001. In 2012, she received a Doctor of Humane Letters,

honoris causa from Georgetown University and an honorary doctorate from

Universite Libre De Bruxelles in Brussels, Belgium. She also holds honorary

doctorates from Yale and University of Natal. Ela Bhatt was also awarded the

civilian honour ofPadma Shriby the Government ofIndia in 1985, and the Padma

Bhushan in 1986. She was awarded theRamon Magsaysay Award for Community

Leadership in 1977 and the Right Livelihood Award in 1984.

She was chosen for the Niwano Peace Prize for 2010 for her work empowering

poor women in India.

On November 2010, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton honoured Bhatt with

the Global Fairness Initiative Award for helping move more than a million poor

women in India to a position of dignity and independence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arvind_Buch&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_World_Bankinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Afua_Ocloohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Afua_Ocloohttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michaela_Walsh&action=edit&redlink=1http://www.streetnet.org.za/english/default.htm/http://www.streetnet.org.za/english/default.htm/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WIEGOhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockefeller_Foundationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padma_Shrihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padma_Bhushanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padma_Bhushanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramon_Magsaysay_Awardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_Livelihood_Awardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niwano_Peace_Prizehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Global_Fairness_Initiative_Award&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Global_Fairness_Initiative_Award&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niwano_Peace_Prizehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_Livelihood_Awardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramon_Magsaysay_Awardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padma_Bhushanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padma_Bhushanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padma_Shrihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Universityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockefeller_Foundationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WIEGOhttp://www.streetnet.org.za/english/default.htm/http://www.streetnet.org.za/english/default.htm/http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michaela_Walsh&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Afua_Ocloohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Afua_Ocloohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_World_Bankinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arvind_Buch&action=edit&redlink=1


5/24

Ela Bhatt was honoured with the prestigious Radcliffe Medal on May 27, 2011

on Radcliffe day for her efforts in helping uplift women, which has had a

significant impact on society.

In November 2011, Ela Bhatt was selected for the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace,

Disarmament and Development 2011 for her lifetime achievements in empowering

women through grassroots entrepreneurship.

In June 2012, US Sectretary of State Hillary Clinton identified Ela Bhatt as one of

her 'heroine'. She said, "I have a lot of heroes and heroines around the world and

one of them is Ela Bhatt, who started an organisation called the Self-Employed

Women's Association (SEWA) in India many years ago".

The Elders :-

On 18 July 2007 in Johannesburg, South Africa, Nelson Mandela, Graa Machel,

and Desmond Tutu convened a group of world leaders to contribute their wisdom,

independent leadership and integrity to tackle some of the world's toughest

problems. Nelson Mandela announced the formation of this new group,The Elders,

in a speech he delivered on the occasion of his 89th birthday.

Archbishop Tutu will serve as the Chair of The Elders. The founding members of

this group also include Graa Machel, Kofi Annan, Ela Bhatt, Gro Harlem

Brundtland, Jimmy Carter, Li Zhaoxing, Mary Robinson and Muhammad Yunus.

This group can speak freely and boldly, working both publicly and behind the

scenes on whatever actions need to be taken, Mandela commented. Together we

will work to support courage where there is fear, foster agreement where there is

conflict, and inspire hope where there is despair.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Radcliffe_Medal&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Radcliffe_day&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clintonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Employed_Women%27s_Associationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Employed_Women%27s_Associationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gra%C3%A7a_Machelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutuhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Eldershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gra%C3%A7a_Machelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kofi_Annanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gro_Harlem_Brundtlandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gro_Harlem_Brundtlandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Zhaoxinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Robinsonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Yunushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Yunushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Robinsonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Zhaoxinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gro_Harlem_Brundtlandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gro_Harlem_Brundtlandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kofi_Annanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gra%C3%A7a_Machelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Eldershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutuhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gra%C3%A7a_Machelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Employed_Women%27s_Associationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Employed_Women%27s_Associationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clintonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Radcliffe_day&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Radcliffe_Medal&action=edit&redlink=1


6/24

The Elders will be independently funded by a group of Founders, including

SirRichard Branson, Peter Gabriel, Ray Chambers; Michael Chambers; Bridgeway

Foundation; Pam Omidyar, Humanity United; Amy Robbins; Shashi Ruia, Dick

Tarlow; and The United Nations Foundation.

Ela Bhatt:

"Organizing Working Poor Women: The Sewa

Experience"

Dr. Ela Bhatt, recipient of the University of Chicago's 2007 William Benton Medal

for Distinguished Public Service, presented a public lecture on Novermber 27th in

the Weymouth Kirkland Courtroom. Ela R. Bhatt is widely recognized as one of

the worlds most remarkable pioneers and entrepreneurial forces in grassroots

development. Known as the gentle revolutionary she has dedicated her life to

improving the lives of Indias poorest and most oppressed women workers, with

Gandhian thinking as her source of guidance. In 1972, Dr. Bhatt founded the Self-

Employed Womens Association (SEWA) a trade union which now has more

than 1,000,000 members. Founder Chair of the Cooperative Bank of SEWA, she is

also founder and chair of Sa-Dhan (the All India Association of Micro Finance

Institutions in India) and founder-chair of the Indian School of Micro-finance for

Women. Dr. Bhatt was a Member of the Indian Parliament from 1986 to 1989, and

subsequently a Member of the Indian Planning Commission. She founded and

served as chair for Womens World Banking, the International Alliance of Home-

based Workers (HomeNet), and Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing,

Organizing (WIEGO). She also served as a trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation

for a decade. Dr. Bhatt has received several awards, including the Ramon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Bransonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Gabrielhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Foundationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Foundationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Gabrielhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Branson


7/24

Magsaysay Award, the Right Livelihood Award, the George Meany-Lane Kirkland

Human Rights Award, and the Lgion dhonneur from France. She has also

received honorary doctorates from Harvard, Yale, the University of Natal and other

academic institutions. In 2007, Dr. Bhatt was named a member of The Elders, an

international group of leaders whose goals include catalyzing peaceful resolutions

to long-standing conflicts, articulating new approaches to global issues that are

causing or may cause immense human suffering, and sharing wisdom by helping to

connect voices all over the world. The Benton Medal The William Benton Medal

for Distinguished Public Service is given to individuals who have rendered

distinguished public service in the field of education. This field includes not only

teachers but also . . . everyone who contributes in a systematic way to shaping

minds and disseminating knowledge. Previous Benton Medal recipients include

John Callaway, Katharine Graham, and Senator Paul Simon.

SEWAs Ela Bhatt to showcase her mentors life

Founder of Self-Employed Womens Association Ela Bhatt will pay tribute to her

mentor Anasuya Sarabhai by opening an exhibition on her life on the 40th

anniversary of SEWA on Saturday, which also happens to be the late Sarabhais

birthday.

Bhatt says that Motaben as Sarabhai was known, inspired and influenced my

vision of the labour movement and my work at SEWA and her work has shaped

the lives of 1.3 million self employed women in India.

Long before Sarabhai had joined hands with Mahatma Gandhi to lead the historic

strike of mill workers in Ahmedabad which led to the founding of Textile Labour


8/24

Association in 1920, she had already led a successful strike by herself in 1917.

SEWA was born of the TLA in 1972, the year in which Sarabhai passed away.

The exhibition which will be on till November 30, will be housed in Shantisadan in

Mirzapur, where Sarabhai began her movement.

Harvard honours SEWA founder Ela Bhatt Boston, May 27 (PTI)

Ela Bhatt, the founder of NGO Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), was

today awarded the Radcliffe Institute Medal by Harvard University's Radcliffe

Institute for Advanced Study here in recognition of her ''life and work that have

benefited society''.Bhatt was presented the medal, awarded annually to individuals who have

substantially and positively influenced society, on Radcliffe Day, a traditional

event that follows Harvard's Commencement ceremonies.

"When women have an income of their own, they are able to fight their own battlesin their own way. For that, economic freedom is the key," Bhatt said."In my

experience women are the key to building holistic communities," she added.

Although her workers still occupy the "margins" of society, "it is from the marginsthat real transformation comes to the centre," Bhatt said.Bhatt founded SEWA in

1972.Conceived as a women's trade union, SEWA has grown into an NGO that offers

microlending, health and life insurance, and child careall overseen by morethan a hundred women-run cooperatives.

SEWA membership has grown to about 1.3 million."The Radcliffe Institute is

proud to honour her this year, in which gender in the developing world is one of itsdominant themes," the Institute said.

Bhatt has been recognised for her long battle for social justice. In November last

year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had honoured Bhatt at the Global FairnessInitiative Award.

Radcliffe Day is the Institute's annual celebration of women, as well as the alumni

and fellows of Radcliffe College and the Radcliffe Institute.


9/24

The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University is a scholarlycommunity where individuals pursue advanced work across a wide range of

academic disciplines, professions and creative arts.

Within this broad purpose, the institute sustains a continuing commitment to the

study of women, gender, and society.

Ela Bhatt the founder of the Self-Employed Womens

Association (SEWA)

Ela Bhatt, the founder of the Self-Employed Womens Association (SEWA), iswidely recognized as one of the world's most remarkable pioneers and

entrepreneurial forces in grassroots development. Known as the "gentle

revolutionary," and a follower of the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, she has

dedicated her life to improving the lives of India's poorest and most oppressed

citizens.

Ela Bhatt established SEWA in 1972, and the trade union has now grown to more

than 1 million members. She led SEWA to form a cooperative bank in 1974,

which offers microcredit loans to help women become financially independent.

Ela Bhatt was a member of the upper house of the Indian Parliament (the Rajya

Sabha) and subsequently a member of the Indian Planning Commission. She


10/24

founded and served as chair for Womens World Banking, the Internat ional

Alliance of Home-based Workers (HomeNet), Street Vendors (StreetNet) and of

Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing Organizing

(WIEGO). For a decade she also served as a trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation.

She has received many awards, including the Padmashree, the Ramon Magsaysay

Award, the Right Livelihood Award, the George Meany-Lane Kirkland Labor

Rights Award by the AFL-CIO of the United States, the Lgion dhonneur by

France, the Madrid Creatividad Award, and the CGAE (Consejo General de la

Abogacia Espaola The General Council of Spanish Lawyers) Human Rights

Award in Spain. In 2010 she will receive the 27th Niwano Peace Prize. In addition

she has received honorary doctorate degrees from a number of universities,

including Harvard, Yale, and Natal. She is a member of the Council of The Elders

brought together by Nelson Mandela in 2007, and authored the book We Are Poor

but So Many, published by Oxford University Press in 2006.


11/24

SEWA Self Employed Womens Association

History:-

The Self Employed Women's Assoication. SEWA was born in 1972 as a trade

union of self employed women. It grew out of the Textile Labour Association ,

TLA, India's oldest and largest union of textile workers founded in 1920 by a

women, Anasuya Sarabhai. The inspiration for the union came from Mahatma

Gandhi, who led a successful strike of textile workers in 1917. He believed in

creating positive organised strength by awakening the consciousness in workers.

By developing unity as well as personality, a worker should be able to hold his or

her own against tyranny from employers or the state. To develop this strength he

believed that a union should cover all aspects of worker's lives both in the factory

and at home.

Against this background of active involvement in industrial relations, social work

and local, state and national politics, the ideological base provided by Mahatma

Gandhi and the feminist seeds planted by Anasuya Sarabhai led to the creation by

the TLA of their Women's Wing in 1954. Its original purpose was to assist women

belonging to households of mill wokers and its work was focussed largly on

traning and welfare activities. By 1968, classes in sewing, knitting embroidery,

spinning, press composition typing and stenography were established in centres

throughout the city for the wives and daughters of mill workers.

The scope of its activities expanded in the early 1970's when a survery was

conducted to probe complaints by women tailors. of exploitation by contractors.

The survey broght out other instances of exploitatation of women workers and
http://www.sewa.org/index.asphttp://www.sewa.org/index.asphttp://www.sewa.org/index.asphttp://www.sewa.org/index.asphttp://www.sewa.org/index.asp


12/24


13/24

of the leader of the Women's Wing, Ela Bhatt, and the president of the TLA,

Arvind Buch, the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) was born in

December 1971.

The women felt that as a workers' association, SEWA should establish itself as a

Trade Union. This was a fairly novel idea, because the self-employed have no real

history of organising.The first struggle SEWA undertook was obtaining official

recognition as Trade Union. The Labour Department refused to register SEWA

because they felt that since there was no recognised employer, the workers would

have no one to struggle against. We argued that a Union was not necessarily

against an employer, but was for the unity of the workers. Finally, SEWA was

registered as a Trade Union in April 1972.

SEWA grew continuously from 1972, increasing in its membership and including

more and more different occupations within its fold. The beginning of the

Women's Decade in 1975 gave a boost to the growth of SEWA, placing it within

the women's movement. In 1977, SEWA's General Secretary, Ela Bhatt, was

awarded prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award and this brought international

recognition to SEWA.

By 1981, relations between SEWA and TLA had deteriorated. TLA did not

appreciate an assertive women's group in its midst. Also, the interests of TLA,

representing workers of the organised sector often came into conflict with the

demands of SEWA, representing unorganised women workers. The conflict came

to a head in 1981 during the anti-reservation riots when members of higher castes

attacked the Harijans, many of whom were members of both TLA and SEWA.

SEWA spoke out in defense of the Harijans, whereas TLA remained silent.


14/24

Because of this outspokenness, TLA threw out SEWA from its fold. 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.

Introduction:-

SEWA is a trade union registered in 1972. It is an organisation of poor, self-

employed women workers. These are women who earn a living through their own

labour or small businesses. They do not obtain regular salaried employment with

welfare benefits like workers in the organised sector. They are the unprotectedlabour force of our country. Constituting 93% of the labour force, these are

workers of the unorganised sector. Of the female labour force in India, more than

94% are in the unorganised sector. However their work is not counted and hence

remains invisible. In fact, women workers themselves remain uncounted,

undercounted and invisible.

SEWAs main goals are to organise women workers for full employment. Full

employment means employment whereby workers obtain work security, income

security, food security and social security (at least health care, child care and

shelter). SEWA organises women to ensure that every family obtains full

employment. By self-reliance we mean that women should be autonomous and

self-reliant, individually and collectively, both economically and in terms of their

decision-making ability.

At SEWA we organise workers to achieve their goals of full employment and self

reliance through the strategy of struggle and development. The struggle is against

the many constraints and limitations imposed on them by society and the economy,


15/24

while development activities strengthen womens bargaining power and offer them

new alternatives. Practically, the strategy is carried out through the joint action of

union and cooperatives. Gandhian thinking is the guiding force for SEWAs poor,

self-employed members in organising for social change. We follow the principles

of satya (truth), ahimsa (non-violence), sarvadharma (integrating all faiths, all

people) and khadi (propagation of local employment and self reliance).

SEWA is both an organisation and a movement. The SEWA movement is

enhanced by its being a sangam or confluence of three movements : the labour

movement, the cooperative movement and the womens movement. But it is also a

movement of self-employed workers : their own, home-grown movement with

women as the leaders. Through their own movement women become strong and

visible. Their tremendous economic and social contributions become recognised

With globalization, liberalization and other economic changes, there are both new

opporunities as well as threats to some traditional areas of employment.

More than ever, our members are ready to face the winds of change. They know

that they must organise to build their own strength and to meet challenges. There

are still millions of women who remain in poverty and are exploited, despite their

long hours of hard labour. They bear the brunt of the changes in our country and

must be brought into the mainstream, so as to avail of the new opportunities that

are developing with regard to employment.

Also there is much to be done in terms of strengthening womens leadership, their

confidence, their bargaining power within and outside their homes and their

representation in policy-making and decision-making fora. It is their issues, their

priorities and needs which should guide and mould the development process in our


16/24

country. Toward this end, SEWA has been supporting its members in capacity-

builiding and in developing their own economic organisations.

Goals of SEWA :-

In our experience, poor womens growth, development and employment occurs

when they have work and income security and food security. It also occurs when

they are healthy, able to access child care and have a roof over their heads. In order

to ensure that we are moving in the direction of our two goals ofFullEmployment and Self Reliance, constant monitoring and evaluation is required.

In a membership-based organisation, it is the members priorities and needs which

necessarily shapes the priorities and direction of the organisation. Hence, it is

appropriate that member's themselves develop their own yardstick for evaluation.

The following ten question have emerged from the members and continually serve

as a guide for all members, group leaders, executive committee members and full-

time organisers of SEWA. It is also useful for monitoring SEWAs progress and

the relevance of its various activities and their congruence with members reality

and priorities. It also increases the accountability of SEWAs leaders and

organisers, to their members.

The Eleven Questions of SEWA :

Have more members obtained more employment ?

Has their income increased ?


17/24

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 ? (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.

Have the workers organisational strength increased ?

Has workers leadership increased ?

Have they become self-reliant both collectively and individually ?

Have they become literate?

Questions 1 to 7 are linked to the goal of full employment while 8 to 11 are those

concerned with SEWAs goal of self reliance. However each of these are

interconnected to each other. In 1998 "aagewans" suggested including education

in the broadest sense as the eleventh question to be addressed by SEWA. We have

included this as part of the members yardstick


18/24

SEWA's Structure

SEWA is registered as a trade union under the Indian Trade Unions Act of 1926.

The union is open for membership to self-employed women workers all over India.The membership fee is Rs. 5 per year. The union is governed by a two-tier level of

elected representation. The members of each trade elect their representatives in theratio of 1 representative per 100 members. These representatives then form the

Trade Council (Pratinidhi Mandal). In addition, and parallel to the Trade Councilare Trade Committees(Dhandha Samiti) in each trade. The Trade Committee has

no fixed proportion to number of members but varies between 15 to 50 members.

The Trade Committees meet every month and discuss the problems of their tradesand possible solutions to them. Trade Council members are members of theirrespective Trade Committees as well. The organiser of a trade group is the

Member Secretary of that group's Trade Committee.

Every three years the Trade Council elects an Executive Committee of 25members. The representation on the Executive Committee reflects the proportion

of the membership.

The office-bearers of the trade union are elected from among the Executive

members. It has become a practice to elect the President from the trade with the

largest membership.

SEWA's Membership

Self-Employed Women Workersour

embers

SEWA members are workers who haveno fixed employee-employer relationshipand depend on their own labour for

survival. They are poor, illiterate and

vulnerable. They barely have any assetsor working capital. But they are extremely

economically active, contributing very


19/24

significantly to the economy and society

with their labour. In fact, 64% of GDP isaccounted for by the selfemployed of

our country. There are Four types of self-

employed women workers:

Hawkers, vendors and small businesswomen like vegetable, fruit, fish, egg

and other vendors of food items,household goods and clothes vendors :

Home-based workers like weavers,

potters, bidi and agarbatti workers,

papad rollers, ready-made garmentworkers, women who process

agricultural products and artisans, and

Manual labourers & service providerslike agricultural labourers, construction

workers, contract labourers, handcart

pullers, headloaders, domestic

workers and laundry workers. Inaddition to these three categories there

is emergence of another categoryof women workers.

Producers & Services who invest theirlabour and capital to carry out their

businesses. This category includesAgriculture, cattle rearers , salt

workers, gum collectors, cooking &vending etc.

2008 SEWA

Membership

All India

Membership

9,66,139

Gujarat

Membership

5,19,309

All - India Membership year - 2008

State Membership

Gujarat 5,19,309


20/24

Bihar- Munger- Bhagalpur

12,000

Murshidabad 1,758

Delhi 15,771

Rajasthan- Bikaner- Dungarpur

- Jaipur

- Ajmer

- Jodhpur

5,0353,300

550

100

183

Madhya

Pradesh- SEWA -

Indore

3,82,000

Uttar

Pradesh- Bareli- Lucknow

40224,100

Kerala-

Trivandrum

675

Dehradhun 954

Total 9,66,139

Gujarat Membership by Trade 2008

Main Categories of workers No. of women

Manual Labourers and Service

Providers3,29,507

Home based workers 86,962

Hawkers &Vendors 57,010

Producers 45,830

Total 5,19,309

Gujarat Membership - Rural - Urban 2008

Main categories of

orkers

No. of

omen

Percentage of

total

membership

Urban 1,78,736 34.42

Rural 3,40,573 65.58

Total 5,19,309 100.00


21/24

Growth of SEWA's Membership : 1972-2008 (India)

Year GujaratIndia

1972 1070 1070

1977 1948 1948

1982 10733 107331987 15144 15144

1990 25911 25911

1991 46076 46076

1992 38136 45936

1993 42280 53570

1994 75615 143702

1995 158152 218797

1996 162781 212016

1997 159204 211124

1998 142810 2092501999 147618 215234

2000 205985 318527

2001 284317 420208

2002 535674 694551

2003 469306 704166

2004 468445 688743

2005 475308 796755

2006 483012 959698

2007 551974 1123542

2008 519309 966139

While the overall trend is upward, there have been periods of

fluctuation over the past decade. Membership increases

occurred as a result of campaigns which developed into mass

movements in some rural districts, concrete gains from

organising of some categories of workers like vendors and

home based workers and also be cause of support during

crises.

Over the years, the complexion of SEWA's membership has

changed significantly. In 2006, of SEWA's 4,83,012 strong

membership in Gujarat, 60.77% was rural and 39.23% urban.

Within our four major occupational categories, the picture wasas follows:

1.Hawkers &

vendors

- 53,053

members10.98%

2.

Home-

based

workers

- 69,795

members14.45%


22/24

3.

Manual

Labourerers

Service

Providers

-

3,35,065

members

69.37%

4.Producers

& Services

- 25,099

members5.20%

Till 1994, SEWA's membership was predominantly urban. This

was partly due to our origins and base being at Ahmedabad.

However, in the late eighties, SEWA intensified its rural

organising, with the resultant increase in membership from

rural areas.

SEWA SERVICES

Supportive services like savings and credit, health care, child care, insurance, legalaid, capacity building and communication services are important needs of poor

women. If women are to achieve their goals of full employment and self-reliance,these services are essential. Recognising the need for supportive services, SEWA

has helped women take a number of initiatives in organising these services forthemselves and their SEWA sisters. Many important lessons have been learnt in

the process of organising supportive services for and by poor women. Theyprovide these services in a decentralised and affordable manner, at the doorsteps of

workers. Further, supportive services can be and are themselves a source of self-

employment. For example, midwives charge for their services and creche workerscollect fees for taking care of young children.

Also, women are ready to pay for the services and in fact, this results in thefinancial viability of the supportive services. They do not have to be totally

dependent on subsidies and grants. Some supportive services like savings and

credit, health and child care have formed their own co-operatives. these

cooperatives have gained operational self sufficiency.

SEWA bank has achieved financial viability for many years now, while the othercooperatives are steadily moving towards this.

Sewa Bank Legal Services

Health Care

Capacity

building of

Sewa Members
http://www.sewa.org/Services_Bank.asphttp://www.sewa.org/Services_Legal_Services.asphttp://www.sewa.org/Services_Health_Care.asphttp://www.sewa.org/Services_Capacity_Building.asphttp://www.sewa.org/Services_Capacity_Building.asphttp://www.sewa.org/Services_Capacity_Building.asphttp://www.sewa.org/Services_Capacity_Building.asphttp://www.sewa.org/Services_Capacity_Building.asphttp://www.sewa.org/Services_Capacity_Building.asphttp://www.sewa.org/Services_Capacity_Building.asphttp://www.sewa.org/Services_Health_Care.asphttp://www.sewa.org/Services_Legal_Services.asphttp://www.sewa.org/Services_Bank.asp


23/24

Child CareHousing and

Infrastructure

VimoSEWA(SEWAInsurance)

Video Sewa

SISTER ORGANIZATIONS

Shri

Gujarat

Mahila

Lok

Swasthya

Sewa

Sahakari

Mandali

Ltd.

www.lokswasthya.org

Shree Mahila Sewa Sahakari Bank Ltd.

www.sewabank.com

SEWA Academy

www.sewaacademy.org

SEWA Insurance

www.sewainsurance.org

Gujarat Mahila Housing SEWA Trust

www.sewahousing.org

Sewa Trade facilitation Centre

www.sewatfc.org Sewa Gram Mahila Haat

www.sewamart.com

SEWA Research

www.sewaresearch.org

Sewa Manager ni School

www.sewamanagernischool.org

SEWA ICT

www.sewaict.org

Sewa Sanskarkendra

www.sewasanskarkendra.org

Video SEWA

www.videosewa.org

Shri Mahila SEWA Anasooya Trust

www.anasooya.org

Sewa Eco Tourism

www.sewaecotourism.org

Hansiba
http://www.sewa.org/Services_Child_Care.asphttp://www.sewahousing.org/http://www.sewahousing.org/http://www.sewa.org/Services_Work_Security_Insurance.asphttp://www.sewa.org/Services_Work_Security_Insurance.asphttp://www.sewa.org/Services_Video.asphttp://lokswasthya.org/http://www.sewabank.com/http://www.sewabank.com/http://www.sewaacademy.org/http://www.sewaacademy.org/http://www.sewainsurance.org/http://www.sewainsurance.org/http://www.sewahousing.org/http://www.sewahousing.org/http://www.sewatfc.org/http://www.sewamart.com/http://www.sewamart.com/http://www.sewaresearch.org/http://www.sewamanagernischool.org/http://www.sewamanagernischool.org/http://www.sewaict.org/http://www.sewasanskarkendra.org/http://www.sewasanskarkendra.org/http://www.videosewa.org/http://www.videosewa.org/http://www.anasooya.org/http://www.anasooya.org/http://www.sewaecotourism.org/http://www.sewaecotourism.org/http://www.anasooya.org/http://www.videosewa.org/http://www.sewasanskarkendra.org/http://www.sewaict.org/http://www.sewamanagernischool.org/http://www.sewaresearch.org/http://www.sewamart.com/http://www.sewatfc.org/http://www.sewahousing.org/http://www.sewainsurance.org/http://www.sewaacademy.org/http://www.sewabank.com/http://lokswasthya.org/http://www.sewa.org/Services_Video.asphttp://www.sewa.org/Services_Work_Security_Insurance.asphttp://www.sewa.org/Services_Work_Security_Insurance.asphttp://www.sewahousing.org/http://www.sewahousing.org/http://www.sewa.org/Services_Child_Care.asp


24/24

www.sewatfc.org

Sewa Kalakruti

www.sewakalakruti.org

SEWA Bharat

www.sewabharat.org

Homenet South Asiawww.homenetsouthasia.org

Sewa Nirman

SEWA Nirman
http://www.sewatfc.org/http://www.sewakalakruti.org/http://www.sewabharat.org/http://www.sewabharat.org/http://www.homenetsouthasia.org/index.phphttp://www.homenetsouthasia.org/index.phphttp://www.sewa.org/Sewa_Nirman.asphttp://www.sewa.org/Sewa_Nirman.asphttp://www.homenetsouthasia.org/index.phphttp://www.sewabharat.org/http://www.sewakalakruti.org/http://www.sewatfc.org/

ela bhatt entrepreneur

Documents