Stepping Outside the Shadows

SEWA Delhi is a member of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), founded in Ahmedabad by Ela R. Bhatt in 1972. Elaben once wrote, “Change, to be real, has to come from the people.” SEWA channels the collective voice for change of millions of women labouring in India’s informal economy—the street vendors, agricultural laborers, construction workers, home-based seamstresses and embroiderers, waste collectors, and so many others who drive our country’s economy, yet have little recognition as workers. By organizing these workers into trade unions, cooperatives, producer companies and other social enterprises, SEWA harnesses the collective power of women to transform their relationship with the economy. SEWA now has over 2.5 million members in 19 states of India. SEWA Delhi began in 1999 by working with vegetable vendors in the city's Jahangirpuri area. Delhi has long been a magnet for migrant workers labouring in the low-paid, insecure jobs of the informal economy. As the SEWA movement gained momentum in the city, women from different areas and trades joined, driven by a common desire for dignity as workers. Today, SEWA Delhi has over One lakh members, working together to secure more just and secure livelihoods across our national capital.