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ID: 5211Added: 2002-07-03 12:11Modified: 2003-05-27 12:43Refreshed: 2012-02-10 15:18 
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News 15 of 27
Banking on Women in India: The Self-Employed Women's Association1999-10-07
Stephen DaleThe key to protecting marginalized women workers is to create a variety of social agencies that work together, states the director of a successful Indian micro-credit institution. "We realized that in countries like India where the supply of labour is greater than the demand, you cannot continue struggling [for women workers' rights] unless you have some alternative arrangements," said Jayshree Vyas, Managing Director of the SEWA Bank, during a recent seminar held at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Ottawa. The event was organized by IDRC, the Coady International Institute, and South Asia Partnership (SAP) Canada. SEWA roots The Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) was founded in 1972 as a trade union representing self-employed women vegetable vendors, home-based garment workers, and service providers (such as ragpickers) in the western Indian state of Gujarat. It has since taken on the additional roles of bank, co-operative marketing agency, service provider, educator, and advocate for changes in government policy. "Our strategy is to pursue women's rights through unionism, and development through co-operatives," explained Vyas. When SEWA was formed, the women it represents were desperately poor (despite working gruelling 18 hour days) in part because they were more vulnerable to exploitation and lacked the protection of social security and minimum wage laws. SEWA organized these women despite many obstacles — including the fact they had no identifiable employer to go on strike against. Lack of capital Soon, another aspect of these women's plight became evident: their lack of capital. Unable to secure loans from commercial banks, many women had been forced to borrow from money lenders at interest rates as high as 3,000 % annually. (SEWA, by contrast, charges the market rate of 17% on its loans). Women lacking the capital necessary to buy their own equipment were also trapped in a cycle of indebtedness: rental of a sewing machine, for example, typically eats up most of a garment worker's earnings. Today, there are indications that SEWA has helped some women escape from poverty. The SEWA Bank has opened 125,000 saving accounts and granted 30,000 loans, many of which have helped the borrowers to increase their productivity and income. Vyas cites the case of one woman who installed a tile floor in her home and now sews more because her sewing machine no longer wobbles. Another client, who replaced a leaky roof, began to sell more of a snack she makes because she was able to keep the food drier. Marketing co-operative SEWA became a marketing co-operative after its union's successful fight against merchants who were gouging quilt-makers, notes Vyas. These merchants had agreed to raise the wholesale price for quilts — which sold for 8 rupees in the market — from one-half rupee to one-and-a-half rupees, but they refused to trade with women who had been active in the union. As a result, these women needed an agency to help them market their own goods. Political action is another element of SEWA's multi-pronged approach. In one case, SEWA successfully lobbied to secure the tenure of women vendors on city streets. In a second case, it provided the Prime Minister of India with a five minute video synopsis of a report on self-employed women, which he had been too busy to read. Inspiring example Vyas believes that SEWA's greatest value is the inspiring example it sets of how incremental gains can bolster marginalized women's economic and social status, increasing social justice. "We just expect the recognition of women and a fair deal from the society," she concludes. Stephen Dale is an Ottawa-based writer. Contact Information:Self-Employed Women's Association, SEWA Reception Centre, Opp. Victoria Garden, Bhadra, Ahmedabad - 380 001, India; Tel: (91-79) 550-6444, 550-6477; Fax: (91-79) 550-6446; E-mail: sewa.mahila@gnahd.globalnet.ems.vsnl.net.in
News 15 of 27
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