In a country like India, women are the worst victims of social and economic
crises. At the same time, they are a source of strength for their family. Their
contribution to the society is immense, yet their recognition seems invisible.
SEWA, the bank of underprivileged women is a project by Ela Bhatt based on
the notion that women can sustain themselves through their collective strength.
SEWA has an all India membership of over 140,000 women and the basic
goal of SEWA is to provide them with social and economic security. Drawing
inspiration from the Gandhian model of self sustenance, SEWA has emerged
as a force to be reckoned with. Implementing transparency, accountability
and efficiency today the SEWA model is adopted by other countries as well.