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Yet
another Disaster.....The recent floods on Gujarat have affected SEWA's member and
their families in Ahmedabad,Kheda,Anand and Surat districts. About
1,25,000 members are affected, many of them have lost their houses and
livelihoods. Our concern is to help them to cope with the present and rebuild
the future.....See last page.
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Ranjanben,
SEWA Founder Member, Passes away |
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SEWA
lost one of its founder members, Ranjanben Daulatbhai Desai who
was 73 years old. She passed away on 16th of May. Ranjanben was born in
Surat in a Gandhian family, but moved to Ahmedabad after marriage where
her husband was a geologist with the Government of Gujarat. She felt she
had found her life’s work when SEWA was formed. She had an instinctive
bond with poor women and would get involved in all aspects of their lives.
When SEWA first started, she conducted surveys and would spend hours visiting
the women at their homes and worksites. The women often did not have time
to talk to her, so Ranjanben would sit patiently in the woman’s house
and wait for her to finish work. She would talk for hours to the daughters
of the women who spent their days doing the housework and looking after
the small children while their mothers worked. She was shocked to find
that these girls where totally innocent about the facts of life and she
came across cases where girls had got pregnant without the slightest idea
of what was happening to them. She discussed this with Elaben and they
decided to start a programme for young girls called “Know your Body”.
There was a lot of opposition to this from the conservatives, who tried
to stop the classes, but Ranjanben was always willing to fight for her
beliefs. She confronted them boldly and continued the classes, which today
are an important part of the SEWA health programme.
Through
these classes, she came in contact with midwives, and conducted a survey
to find that over 70% of SEWA members did not go to hospitals but had
their babies delivered by traditional midwives. SEWA then started training
in modern techniques for the midwives, which today has grown into the
SEWA Midwives School, and the midwives have become independent health
providers registering their own co-operatives.
Ranjanben
is known best for her organizing of paper-pickers. Coming into SEWA one
would see the diminutive figure of Ranjanben surrounded by fifty paper
pickers with their sacks of waste, all talking at once. When Ranjanben
got up in the morning she would go out into her verandah to find a group
of paper pickers with problems sitting patiently waiting for her. At night
they would come to her house and sit talking to her till her husband requested
her to go to bed. Ranjanben was always fighting for them. She would fight
with the policemen who harassed them. She would fight with the officers
of the Government to make sure that they got all the paper from the waste
paper baskets (the D category of waste), she would fight with the contractors
in the areas to make sure they got good prices. And most of all she would
spend hours with them trying to help them sort out their internal differences.
Ranjanben
was always concerned that SEWA organizers should be very close to the
members. She would encourage the young organizers to visit SEWA sisters’
houses, eat and drink with them, and take interest in their work. She
would often tell them "Your conduct should be soothing enough
to give a sad woman her smile back" .Elaben called Ranjanben her
"conscience keeper" and said in weak moments she would remind
her of the guiding values of SEWA and keep her on track
On the
day of her retirement, at the age of 65, Ranjanben said she was not going
to leave; rather she would keep coming to SEWA till death took her away.
And that’s the way it happened, she came to SEWA met everyone, and a day
later she passed away on Sunday. |
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SEWA Cooperatives celebrate
Indian Co-operative Centenary. |
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The
Indian Co-operative movement has just completed a hundred years. SEWA
along with National Co-operative Development Corporation and the Gujarat
Women's Development Co-oprative Federation celebrated the role of important
role of women in co-operatives by awarding the Year’s Best Performance
to Pethapur Women’s Dairy Co-operative. The Second award went to Saundarya
Cleaners Co-operative, and the third was Lok Swasthya Health Co-operative.
Each of these has a turnover of more than Rs. 5 million. They were awarded
a certificate of excellence and a cash prize of Rs.1000. The Dairy cooperative
of Pethapur, a village close to Gandhinagar has registered a profit of
Rs.1.1 million and generated income for its more than 1200 members.
SEWA
entered the Co-operative movement thirty years ago when SEWA Bank was
started in 1974. The experience of SEWA Bank made the members of SEWA
realize that the combination of trade union and co-operatives was very
powerful. The trade union fights for the rights of members, while the
co-operative gave them control of their economy. The next co-operative
was the Sabina Patch workers Co-operative and after that were a series
of milk producer co-operatives formed with the help of the Milk Producer
Co-operative Federations. Today there are 93 co-operatives which are part
of the SEWA movement.
These
cooperatives came together to form the Gujarat State Women SEWA Cooperative
for the purpose of facilitating training, marketing, providing linkages,
generating employment, and solving their different issues. The federation
has contributed in a very big way in generating employment for women in
different trades. On 29th of June the Federation called its
Annual General Meeting and issued its annual report, which
speaks volumes about the efforts put by self-employed members of SEWA
behind the success of cooperative movement in state.
Last
year the Federation conducted 72 training programmes for building the
technical and organizational skills of the members of different cooperatives.
It helped cooperatives to do a business worth more than Rs.
10 million (Rs.1, 08,73,892 to be precise) and was able to give employment
to 16,716 women earning an income of over Rs. 2 million |
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| Sr. |
Name |
No. |
Members |
| 1 |
Land Based Cooperatives |
5 |
165 |
| 2 |
Labour Cooperatives:
-Salt Workers
-Stone Breakers’
-Paper Pickers
-Construction Workers |
1
2
2
1 |
51
91
102
101 |
| 3 |
Artisan Cooperatives:
-Embroiders’
-Quilt makers (stichers’)
-Block printers
-Appliqué Workers
- Weavers
-Cane & Bamboo workers |
1
1
1
1
4
1 |
51
51
200
268
239
70 |
| 4 |
Service Cooperatives:
-Child Care
-Health Care
-Midwives
-Cleaning
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2
1
3
1 |
650
267
303
313 |
| 5 |
Vendors / Traders
-Fruit & Vegetable
-Fish
-Utility Items
-Stationery
-Snacks / Catering
-Kerosene |
1
1
2
1
1
1 |
51
71
102
125
82
40 |
| 6 |
Dairy |
58 |
5879 |
| 7 |
The
Mahila SEWA Cooperative Bank Ltd. |
1 |
44,938 |
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Total |
93 |
50,817 |
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| RESTORING A LEGACY:
SEWA’s struggle for restoring the Kabadi (scrap) Bazaar |
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| SEWA’s members in
Delhi earn their livelihood by exchanging new pots for old clothes. They
would repair and dry clean the clothes, and sell them in the historic bazaar
behind the Red Fort. This bazaar was started in the Mughal times and was
know as the Bibi Khanam market, the British who changed its name to Kabadi
Bazaar shifted it. Since then it has been shifted around old Delhi seven
times, but always retained its essential nature. Practically every old and
recycled thing is sold in this market from clothes to stethoscopes, to electronic
parts to old tires. Poor people come to buy goods from this market but so
do the well off.. Those coming barefoot, and those coming in luxury cars,
both can be seen shopping in this market. It attracts foreign tourists coming
to Delhi in a big way. |
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| In the year 2001,
one more chapter was added to the history of this Market. The administration
thought that the market demised the beauty of the Red Fort. It did not think
for a moment what would happen to those over 4000 households, which were
dependent on this market for their livelihood, or the tens of thousands
of consumers who regularly used this market, or the hundreds of tourists
for whom it was a major attraction. The Government removed the whole market
with no thought of relocation. |
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| This was a major
blow to people’s livelihoods. Many of SEWA’s members had no other source
of livelihood. They began to run into debt, they sold their jewellery and
took their children out of school. Some of them did try to sell on the roads
in front of the Red Fort on Sundays, but as the place was not legally theirs,
they had to give bribes to the police, and still the police would beat them
from time to time. They continued their struggle for a place that would
legally belong to them, kept on receiving police beating. From time to time
Municipal Corporation would select places for relocating the market but
nothing worked out. SEWA made many efforts to get the traders their market
back. It started the struggle with a general meeting that was called to
associate every affected trader with the struggle. A steering committee
of 12 members was formed to do all the necessary works related to different
Government offices. SEWA also tried to take the voice of the affected people
to the policy makers, leaders and higher authorities. It contacted the Police
Commissioner, the Lt. Governor of Delhi, local Member of Parliament, to
the press and the most important person in this matter- the Municipal Commissioner
of Delhi. Every body gave a sympathetic hearing to SEWA, and its members,
but to find a place for market in Delhi was some thing next to impossible
yet the municipal Commissioner of Delhi Mr. Rakesh Mehta met SEWA's Committee
several times and finally a place was decided upon. On 29th of May this
year, a place on Veldrome road near I.G Stadium was given for Bazaar. SEWA
members could not believe that their four-year-old struggle had come to
a fruitful end ---for them it was a dream realised! |
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| CONTENTS |
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| SEWA News |
| SEWA
statistics |
| SEWAscope |
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| SEWA
News |
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| SEWA
ENTERS MARKETS IN THE CAPITAL: SEWA Trade Facilitation Centre (STFC) Opens
retail outlet in New Delhi |
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| The
STFC has opened its third retail outlet at the Handicrafts Bhavan in New
Delhi. The Bhavan was formally inaugurated on the 4th of June,
by Mrs. Sonia Gandhi. Mrs. Gandhi was felicitated by STFC member-shareholders
Subhadraben, Kakuben (Patan), Phulaba and Chandaba (Kutch). |
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| STFC
has been selected by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India and the
Development Commissioner of Handicrafts to head the gallery for textiles
and textile based handicraft products. The outlet is a gallery housing a
wide range of handcrafted apparels, home furnishings and accessories made
by grassroots producers and artisans in the informal sector. Strategically
located in the heart of the capital in Connaught place, Baba Kharaksingh
marg, the outlet will be an important retail-marketing avenue in the national
market. It will also provide a platform for the artisans to directly link
with the final customers and have a firsthand understanding of their tastes,
preferences and demand patterns. This will help improve the competitive
position of the artisans in the domestic market, and prepare them to seize
emerging opportunities in the global markets. |
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| Important
dignitaries including Ms Sheela Dixit Chief Minister of Delhi, Shree Shankarsinh
Vaghela Minister of Textiles GOI, Shree R.Poornalingam Secretary, Ministry
of textiles and prominent persons in the textiles and Handicrafts sector
attended the event. |
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| The
gallery will provide direct market access to all SEWA members in the textile
and handicrafts sector. This includes over 15000 craft artisan SEWA members
in Banaskantha and Kutch districts, chikankari, Badla and zardosi artisans
members in UP (LMST), tussar silk weaver members in Bhagalpur (SEWA Bhagalpur),
Chanderi, Maheshwari weavers and smoking artisans in Indore (SEWA MP) and
members of HOMENET. The STFC gallery will also cater to artisan groups and
grassroots producers from all parts of the country and provide them with
the much needed market support by marketing their products at the gallery.
These groups will also be provided with additional technical assistance
and business development services through custom made modules prepared by
STFC. |
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| COMPUTER
COURSES IN SEWA: Educating the the third Generation |
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| Elaben
Bhatt called upon the third generation of SEWA to have a large vision and
self-confidence in life. Distributing certificates to adolescent
girls of SEWA members, on successful completion of Computer course, Elaben,
encouraged the girls to learn English language to join the mainstream. She
said the girls have made her feel proud. Computer classes for the daughters
of the SEWA members were started last year after SEWA members coming to
literacy classes demanded it. The classes are run at SEWA Academy which
is responsible for the capacity building of self employed women through
research, training, literacy, and print & electronic communication |
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| "Ahemdabad
Municipal Corporation wants to continue working positively with SEWA”: Municipal
Commissioner |
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| The
Municipal Commissioner of Ahmedabad visited SEWA on April 30th to understand about the ways in which SEWA is inter-woven with the Ahmedabad
city life. Over 120,000 self-employed women of Ahmedabad are members of
SEWA including street vendors, paper pickers, construction workers, stitches,
kite makers and many more. SEWA works closely with the Corporation in many
areas. Paper pickers and cleaner members of SEWA keep the city clean. For
example Vejalpur Municipality has given work to the women of Valmiki
Community and they are now collecting garbage door to door in Vejalpur area.
Over 200,000 women have accounts in SEWA Bank and have taken loans for employment
and housing. 125 SEWA health workers are working in 30 wards on health issues
like TB and AIDS. SEWA's insurance service “Vimo SEWA” has reached 122,000
people including men women and children. The Mahila Housing SEWA Trust working
in co-operation with the Corporation and the Ahmedabad Electricity Company
has reached water and sitation to over 5000 families and electricity connections
to nearly 2500. |
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| SEWA
requested the Commissioner that this co-operation be continued and expanded.
In particular, SEWA gave a memorandum that each and every street vendor
of the city should be given spaces to vend according to the National Policy
on Street vendors and they all should be given Family Identity Card. The
Municipal Commissioner showed willingness to work with SEWA wherever possible
and assured to take a positive approach towards the concerns of SEWA relating
to self employed women. He said that he had first visited SEWA when he was
still a student in 1981. |
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| SEWA statistics |
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| The
SEWA Bank, formally known as "The Mahila SEWA Cooperative Bank Ltd."
registered a remarkable growth during last one year. The Bank provided employment
to 10,500 Women and paid wages, worth nearly Rs.19.7 million. (Rs.19, 67,
70,299.43 to be precise). It provided loans to Self-employed women working
in 111 Trades. Following are the statistics of its growth. |
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| Details |
2003-2004 |
2004-2005 |
Increase |
| Members |
34,835 |
44,938 |
10,103 |
| share
Capital |
1,79,53,000 |
2,05,98,000 |
26,45,000 |
| Accounts |
2,56,617 |
2,76,684 |
20,067 |
| Total
Deposit(Rs.) |
61,96,99,000 |
62,47,66,000 |
50,67,000 |
| Working
Capital(Rs.) |
87,23,62,000 |
89,14,47,000 |
1,90,85,000 |
| No.
of Loans & Advances Accounts |
53,472 |
64,326 |
10,854 |
| Loans
& Advances (Rs.) |
16,69,44,000 |
18,41,72,000 |
1,72,28,000 |
| Profit
(Rs.) |
88,59,000 |
62,20,000 |
26,39,000 |
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| SEWAscope |
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| SEWA
bank's suggestions invited by Parliamentary Committee |
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The
Indian Parliamentary Committee on Pensions has invited SEWA Bank's suggestions
on "Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority Act".
The Committee's has asked for bank's view because the bank
has the experience of implementing its own pension Scheme. The bank has
made the following suggestions -
- It
should be the responsibility of the Pension Fund Regulatory & Development
Authority to include poor workers in this scheme and it should be
mentioned in the Preamble of the Act.
- The
term "Working Poor" should be defined and the workers having
a monthly income less than Rs.3, 500 should be included in it.
- A
special old age pension scheme for the poor old people should be
designed
- "For
Point of Presence", institutions or organisations, directly
working with the workers such as Non Government Organisations Cooperatives,
Micro finance Institutions District Panchyat Village Panchyat, current
Welfare board Urban Municipal Body etc should be recognised
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| Miraiben
Chaterji nominated in WHO's Commission |
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| Ms.
Mirai Chaterji, Coordinator of SEWA's Social Security has been appointed
as a Commissioner in the Commission for Social Determinants of health (CSDH)
constituted by World Health Organisation (WHO) , along with Dr. Amartya
Sen,and Chile's President Mr. Escobar. The Health Ministers of Philippines,
and Kenya, and the ex. Health Ministers of Iran & Canada and the
former Surgeon- general of the United States are among other commissioners.
The Commission has been constituted to change global health policy, in order
to ensure that the poorest of people get access to health services, and
in an integrated and holistic manner. |
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| The
commission will hold its next meeting in India. It will have a special meeting
with the Prime Minister of India. There will also be a visit to SEWA in
mid-September. |
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Appeal
Dear friends,
The recent floods in
Gujarat have affected SEWA’s members and their families in Ahmedabad, Kheda,
Anand and Surat districts. About 1,25,000 members are affected, many of them
have lost their houses and livelihoods. Our concern is to help them to cope
up the present and rebuild the future.
More than 3000 mud houses have collapsed completely or
partially.
Almost all members have lost their household goods, ration,
their tools and other means of livelihood. However, within same days the
need for long term relief will became apparent all the pressing for the
movement.
The immediate need is for (1) dry ration (2) tarpaulin
sheets (3) candles and (4) medical supplies.
Our teams are not able to reach out to the villages due to
continuing heavy rains, no electricity supply and the telephone lines have
been disrupted.
In a weeks time, we will be able to assess the exact
damage.
On behalf of our affected 1,25,000 families, we appeal for
your support with whatever you can in terms of small cash donations. Gujarat
and SEWA’s members have been experiencing natural disasters every year. SEWA
is also planning to take up at central and state level for long term
livelihood security programme. We welcome your support in that too. In light
of the urgency of the situation, we need this support to act quickly and
effectively.
The donations could be transferred to :
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or write to : |
| Mahila SEWA Trust |
Ms. Namrata Bali : |
| Account No. : 62172 |
General Secretary |
| FCRA No. : 041910070 |
Self Employed Women's Association(SEWA) |
| Bank Swift Code No. : (US) BKIDINBBAMB |
Sewa Reception Centre,Opp.Victoria Garden |
| Bank Address : Bank of India |
Bhadra,Ahmedabad-380001 |
| Ahmedabad Main Branch |
Phone : 079-25506441-444-477/25507365, |
| Bhadra, Ahmedabad - 380001, India. |
Fax : 079-25506446 |
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E-mail : mail@sewa.org / sewaorg@sancharnet.in, |
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| To subscribe Send a mail to mail@sewaacademy.org with "Subscribe" in subject line. Please send a mail to mail@sewaacademy.org with "Remove" in the subject line to remove your name from the mailing list. |
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Self Employed Women's Association
SEWA Reception Centre, Opp. Victoria Garden, Bhadra, Ahmedabad - 380 001. India.
Phone : 91-79-25506444 / 25506477 / 25506441, Fax : 91 - 79 - 25506446, Email : mail@sewa.org |
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