SEWA BHARAT

About SEWA

SEWA (www.sewa.org) is an organisation of poor, self-employed women workers in the informal economy started as a trade union by Ela Bhatt in Gujarat in 1972, based on Gandhian principles. It is spread across 18 states across India with 2.0 million women members. It is a confluence of three movements-women, workers and cooperatives. In 1984, SEWA Bharat (www.sewabharat.org), was formed as a federation to develop new SEWAs, locally, nurture and strengthen. SEWA Bharat highlights issues of the poor women at the national level through close coordination with the state SEWAs. SEWA Bharat also supports development programs and activities that organize women so they can aim to achieve full employment and self-reliance for all its members. SEWA Bharat is a family of SEWA organizations to further informal women workers’ rights, livelihoods, financial independence, education, health and social security.