SEWA: Introduction

1. SEWA BHARATAll India Federation of Self Employed Women’s AssociationDisaster Response and Rehabilitation Efforts

2. SEWA: Introduction The Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) is a labour union of self-employed women workers, started by Smt. Ela Bhatt in Gujarat in the year 1972 to organize women in the informal sector. SEWA twin goals are: full employment. self-reliance Through the joint strategy of Struggle and Development Ela Bhatt founded SEWA in 1972

3. SEWA Bharat was established in 1984 a national federation to highlight issues at the national level, support existing SEWAs, and help new SEWAs become sustainable.- • SEWA Gujrat • SEWA Madhya Pradesh • SEWA Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow and Bareilly) • SEWA Bihar (Bhagalpur, Munger and Katihar) • SEWA Delhi • 6. SEWA Rajasthan (Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaipur) • 7. SEWA Uttrakhand • 8. SEWA West Bengal • 9. SEWA Kerala Over 16,00,000 SEWA members nine states in India.

4. SEWA Activities Skill Development and up-gradation, livelihoods and market linkages Organizing and Capacity Building Social security including Health care and housing Micro-finance including insurance Advocacy and Networking

5. Employment Generation and Skill Development SEWA Bharat supports a diverse range of livelihoods across all its member states by organizing workers into unions, facilitating the creation of collectives, providing skill building opportunities, and building market linkages for producers.

6. The Eleven Points of SEWA and integrated approach SEWA seeks to engage its member in a holistic way. By building membership-based institutions run by workers themselves, SEWA’s members gain access to all the services they need, and are able to increase their bargaining power and enhance their incomes and social security through collective action.

7. SEWA’s First Response to Disaster • SEWA is a membership based organization. • Disaster relief is not one of our areas of work, however we are committed to addressing the needs of our members, • so when disaster does strike, SEWA works as we always do: find out the needs of our members, especially in order to keep them working and earning, and build worker led institutions in order to generate sustainable solutions. • SEWA has learnt from various disasters which affected lives of members over the years • The first disaster in which our members were badly affected was during the floods in Ahmedabad in early 70s • SEWA Bank rescheduled loans repayment • Flood also affected members in Morbi 1979; members of patch work co-operative helped the affected members

8. SEWA’s First Response to Disaster • SEWA Bank also started insurance programs to counter disasters after these floods • Later a separate Insurance program was started which turned into a National level co-operative • Our experience with several disasters in 1980s/1990s and early 2000 also led to establishment of Mahila SEWA Housing Trust as we strongly felt the need of strong houses • The demand of housing and work in the construction sector also led to the establishment of Karmika • MHT built over 6000 houses post earthquake which not only provided homes to many families but also work

9. SEWA’s Response to disaster: Key Principles • Needs Assessment • Focus more on rehabilitation and less on relief as relief gets more attention and resources • To provide work opportunities help members in getting regular income, security and dignity • To rebuild houses help them in settling down fast • Assisting them in getting insurance claims • Assisting members in getting access to loans which help them in starting own enterprises etc

10. SEWA’s Response to Disaster: Key Principles • Skill development and up-gradation as this period of crisis could prove to be a good time to learn new skills or to upgrade the existing ones • Facilitate that sister organizations and co-operatives provide support in terms of resources including financial and human and most importantly work • Establish Community Led Institutions • Build Market Linkages • Apart from human lives, Livelihoods and houses are affected most after any disaster and therefore livelihoods rebuilding becomes very important for income generation and engagement

11. SEWA and the Gujarat Earthquake The Gujarat Earthquake on 26th January 2001 measured a 7.9 on the Richter scale. It killed 17,700 people, injuring 300,000 and inflicting substantial damage on or destroying over a million homes. More than 60,000 of SEWA’s members – the poorest of the poor in the villages – were adversely effected. • Through its field teams of organizers and workers, SEWA immediately began relief and rehabilitation work, covering 161 villages in three districts. • Reaching the villages with relief supplies, the families asked for work. Thus SEWA launched the Emergency Livelihood Program – providing relief and rehabilitation in tandem and allowing members to rebuild their own lived through earned income. • Livelihoods programs were launched based on local skills, traditional occupations, and local resources and assets.

12. Gujarat Earthquake: Relief and Rehabilitation • The relief efforts were thus begun with the following activities: • Craft work as a means of livelihood security program • Salt farming • Fodder Security system • Restoration and repair of water harvesting structure • Support to small and marginal farmers • The activities were implemented through local associations: • Banaskantha DWCRA Mahila SEWA Association • SurendranagarMahila and BalvikasMandal • Kutch Craft Association • SEWA engaged in activities through the establishment of Community Learning Centers as well as through direct outreach. Community learning centers served as a hub of training and capacity building as well as a vehicle for group therapy and support services. • Through their activities SEWA reached more than 13,000 families by July of the same year.

13. Gujarat Earthquake: Craft as Livelihood Security Program • More than 15,00 artisan families live in the districts of Kutch, Patan and Surendranagar – some of the most earthquake affected areas. SEWA provided temporary shelters to each artisan family as well as a craft bag that provided necessary raw material for one week. • Every week, teams comprised of 80% community leaders called aagewans and 20% of SEWA organizers collected finished goods and distributed new bags of resources. Families were paid on the spot for their finished crafts, generating 42 crore rupees in income. • Prembaa of Sujapar said, “For us the biggest relief was provision of work. Immediate work played a major role for us to withstand the damage and destruction. It helped us come out of the shock – it was like a healing medicine for us”. • In order to bring these products to market, the SEWA Trade Facilitation Centre (STFC) was established as a company formed by more than 15,000 artisan shareholders who are also the suppliers and producers of the the company.

14. Gujarat Earthquake: Market Linkages • The STFC serves as a bridge between the rural micro enterprises and the global market with 65% of sales proceeds going directly to the artisans. • The company engages in capacity building, product development and explores new markets using an integrated marketing approach. • The STFC sells artisan products through multiple channels including: • Stores in Ahmedabad and Delhi • Development of Hansiba as a brand • Exhibitions in major cities across the world • Exports • Trade Fairs • The current annual turnover is 2 crores rupees

15. Uttarakhand Floods • From the 14th to the 17th of June this year, Uttarakhandexperienced a multi-day cloudburst that caused devastating floods and landslides. The death toll was officially 6,000 but many reports indicate that as many as 10,000 could be dead. • There are over 5000 members in the effected districts. • Despite communication challenges, SEWA’s staff in the state provided continuous on the ground reports of loss. The continuous rains cut of transportation and made relief efforts incredibly difficult. Regardless, SEWA’s local team went about assessing the immediate needs of the victims and began going from village to village collecting and distributing what they could. • Within a few days, it was estimated that for the 516 members’ families that could be reach, 1008.95 lakh rupees of damaged had been sustained, and that many families had lost at least one earning family member. • Upon receiving these reports, SEWA Bharat immediately began mobilizing support and planning its relief and rehabilitation strategy.

16. UttarakhandFloods: Relief • Once the rain had stopped and opened travel routes and communication lines, SEWA Bharat’s efforts started in earnest. SEWA’s newly appointed Uttarakhand Rehabiliation Coordinator reached 31 villages, representing around 2000 families. A comprehensive needs list was drafted, and the remainder of the relief materials including solar lamps and water purifiers were delivered to community members, regardless of SEWA affiliation, in October/ November itself. • Having designated a Delhi based coordinator, as well as a leader in the affected district of Rudraprayag, SEWA Bharat is currently transitioning from relief to rehabilitation through the coordination of members and establishment of 6 centers to serve 24 villages.

17. Uttarakhand Floods: Rehabilitation Plans • 90% of members and their families in this area were engaged in farming or tourism activities as their livelihood. Both of these options have been washed away. An alternative needs to be established that is non-environment dependent, especially because all indicators point to more incidents of this kind. • SEWA’s 6 centers will provide training to master trainers, as well as members in sewing and cutting and embroidery, upgrading their basic abilities to an employable skill. Through the center they will access raw materials, and services as well as work in groups, which has been found to be a great source of therapy for these women. • Through these 6 centers with 6 sewing machines in each, SEWA will be able to engage with 180 trainees a day. • Centers will serve as a place for discussion, community engagement, congregation and as the foundations for building community led institutions. Home-based work and organizers will also be dispatched from these hubs

18. Uttarakhand Floods: Market Linkages • Through trainings, members will begin producing carry bags, soft toys and cushion covers with light embroidery. • These products will be sold and marketed through SEWA’s producer company, RUAAB SEWA. • They will be sold through the brand Loom Mool in exhibition and in its store in Delhi. Marketing will be done through Loom Mool in mainstream channels. Each product will carry a special tag telling the story of the disaster and the artisan that made it. Thus these products will not only provide sustainable relief but also bring visibility to these rural women and the hardships they face. • Through these efforts, SEWA Bharat will establish a sustainable livelihood for these women going forward, converting a disaster situation into an opportunity for long term development and improved lives.

19. Uttarakhand Rehabilitation Strategy • Building the cadre of trainees and identification of those who are ready to be part of skill training, up gradation and livelihoods program • Cadre of young girls being developed and trained as Master Trainers • Setting up of Centers in process • Identification of products being done/partly done and being developed by Delhi based designers and market experts • Market channels identified • Linkages with donors and government being explored for support • Strengthening of SHGs and BC model is being explored

20. Key Challenges post-disaster for economic recovery • Organizing production processes and systems • Mobilizing women to learn new skills post disaster • Mobilization of finances • Market linkages • Creating sustainable model

21. Conclusion Rehabilitation must happen through a community based, demand driven and participatory approach that ensures the direct involvement of the women and poor. Implementing rehabilitation through local groups leads to effective implementation, sustainability and long term development, as opposed to just a temporary relief and rehabilitation intervention.

22. THANK YOU For further clarification contact us at SEWA Bharat 7/5,1st Floor South Patel Nagar New Delhi -110008 Email –sanjay@sewabharat.org