December Snapshot: SEWA Bharat

From A Self-Help Group To A Mini-Mall: The Empowering Journey ?of Women?In Uttarakhand

"The self-help group (SHG) was there on paper only. We didn't even know what its function was until a block meeting held at?Khatyari in Almora, back?in?2021. There, we also learned about the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) and how women can get employment. We met Beena ben from SEWA Uttarakhand there, who has been instrumental in activating the SHG and in establishing this mini-mall. The SHG was activated after this meeting and we started depositing Rs. 100 per month. 5 SHGs such as ours were combined to make a gram sangathan (village group). A group of gram sangathans combine to make a cluster-level federation. With the support of NRLM and through the sangathan, a jute?centre was opened, where 254?bens are employed to make jute bags, file folders, bottle covers and so on.", said Kiran ben, SEWA Uttarakhand member, resident of Segram Khatyari?and mini-mall in charge.?

Women residing in hills have a difficult life, a point which was mentioned by Kiran ben herself too. Collecting wood, climbing steep terrains for farming, human-wildlife conflict and lack of awareness regarding livelihood opportunities make their lives harder. "Even for joining the SHG, a lot of women hesitated initially. They said that their families would not approve or feared that their money would be misused. However through regular meetings at the panchayat level and meeting stakeholders, trust was gradually established.", adds?Kiran ben.

"I have been a member of SEWA Uttarakhand since 2017 and got to know about NRLM in 2021.?In today's world, funds are the most important for any business venture. Through NRLM, money was received through which the jute centre was opened. Subsequently, it was recognized that a market is required to sell the products handcrafted by women. For this purpose,?an outlet was opened in Almora, which is referred to as the 'mini-mall'."?says Seema ben."

8-9 months ago, it was decided that more?SHGs under NRLM need to be activated to provide women with employment opportunities. I ask the women in my area to make whatever they can, be it spices or woollen items, which are then sold at the outlet. The dividends earned from the profits are?distributed amongst the women who are making these products and are part of the SHGs.", continues Seema ben.?The next steps of expansion include strengthening marketing efforts and ensuring that this mini-mall turns into a profitable venture.?

A Creative Approach In?Advocating?For Enhanced Childcare Services

For a new mother, having a child can be a beautiful experience. However, a lot of support is needed for?raising children, be it their education or taking care of health requirements. If this support is not there, it significantly?reduces the time a mother has for herself and decreases her productive hours.?While the state provides support for the care of?young children through its Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), the opening hours of government-run childcare centres anganwadis are limited to two to four hours a day, making them less than ideal for working mothers. When parents go to work, older children?are often tasked with the responsibility of looking after their younger siblings, which negatively affects their own education as well.?

SEWA defines?quality childcare infrastructure as one that has a multiplier effect - creating new decent work opportunities, improving early childhood development, health, nutrition and education, mental growth and allowing women to more fully engage in the labour market, including transitioning from informal to formal employment. To continue its efforts in advocating for improved?childcare services, SEWA Delhi collaborated with Neenv?Delhi Forces, which is an?informal network of grassroots organizations to create a proactive policy environment for the welfare of children under six. A tableau was taken out in Sundernagri and Nand Nagri areas of Delhi, which spoke for the establishment of creches, especially for women working in the informal economy. "During the entire event, the need for childcare was explained. For informal women workers, it is even more difficult to take days off from work, as this?results in a direct pay cut. Hence, creches are necessary. It must be the responsibility of the parents to ensure that the children are bathed and cleaned properly?before they are sent to?creches. A model creche was displayed within the tableau, which included all the necessary things that an ideal creche must have.", said Seema ben, a home-based worker and aagewan (woman community leader) from Nand Nagri.?

"An ideal creche should have a washroom, a diet chart for children, toys to play with, creche workers who are trained to look after young children, activity charts?for physical and mental development and nutritious food which children can consume.?A cradle,?bottles of milk, medicines and books?were also?kept in the model creche. The onlookers and audience agreed that creches should be there and they would benefit a lot from this. ", added Seema ben.

"If children are left alone at home, many times, they will not even eat their meals as both parents have gone to work. In my view, if creches cannot be opened, the government should consider increasing the time of anganwadis?till 5pm at least. This was also the view of our bens who attended the event.", said Rukmani ben, a home-based worker and aagewan from Sundernagri. The tableau covered the lanes of Sundernagri and Nand Nagri, invoking people's interest in creches and childcare.?This upcoming year will see more such interesting activities to promote an all-inclusive care infrastructure in the country. Stay tuned.

Multistakeholder Meetings For Unraveling Solutions

Whether addressing the localized concern of insufficient water supply in a community or tackling broader challenges such as climate change on a national scale, a multitude of stakeholders play crucial roles in these issues, spanning from grassroots levels to the highest echelons of governance. Even after 77 years of independence, many of our women in the informal economy are not aware of their rights and entitlements as workers. For this, SEWA holds multistakeholder meetings or 'Samanvya Baithak' in Hindi, where all parties come together including?public representatives, ward members, anganwadi workers, ASHAs and local authorities. Here the participants are informed about SEWA's work,?challenges at the community level are discussed and?information regarding crucial schemes is disseminated.

In the month of December, three such meetings were held in Bhagalpur, Bihar and Berhampore and Phulia districts of West Bengal respectively. "Meetings such as these provide us a platform to talk about our issues to local leaders. In my area, the roads are not proper, which I informed the sarparch (head of the local government) about. More anganwadis need to be opened as one anganwadi is not sufficient for the no. of children that require its support. I suggested this during the interaction. Additionally, we continue to fight the battle to receive?increased and timely wages, along with social security benefits.", said Indira Devi ben, an anganwadi sevika from Munger, Bihar."

These meetings allow me to know about many schemes such as the?Bina Mulya Samajik Suraksha Yojana, a state-run social security scheme which aims to cover every eligible unorganised worker. The benefits include the provision of provident funds, health support and compensation in case of death. We were also informed that the money received by SHGs under?NRLM can be used for running small businesses instead of personal uses like marriages and constructing houses. Many bens didn't know about this scheme till I informed them.", says Sampa ben, an aagewan (woman community leader) and weaver from Phulia, West Bengal.

Such meetings bring?together individuals from various backgrounds, sectors, and perspectives. This inclusivity ensures that a wide range of voices and opinions are considered, fostering diversity of thought and representation. Additionally, they lead to a?comprehensive understanding of challenges and?the development of holistic solutions for local issues.?These gatherings are pivotal in cultivating decision-making processes that contribute to the creation of sustainable and locally pertinent outcomes.

Keeping The Art of Lac?Craftsmanship Alive

Business Standard states through a recent article,?that the lac industry in India is 250-year-old. It is?mostly unorganized, hence no market data is available.?Trade estimates, however, show that Jaipur’s lac bangle industry alone is worth around Rs 75-80 crore.?Lac is a sticky substance produced by certain insects and is used in making varnishes, dyes, and sealing wax out of which bangles are also made. Jaipur, a city in India,?is traditionally known for its lac work. The demand for its lac handicrafts?is far and wide.?Numerous artisan families have been dedicated to this craft for generations, passing down the tradition from one to the next.

Two main types of lac exist: warm and cold. Traditionally employed for crafting bangles, warm lac now contends with its counterpart, cold lac, which serves as a more economical alternative, meeting market demands. However, the production of cold lac involves the usage of?chemicals, leading to potential health issues such as allergies and infections amongst lac-bangle makers. Additionally, the association of child labor with cold lac usage adds ethical concerns to its production. To ensure that the business of making bangles with warm lac continues and the art is not lost, SEWA Rajasthan has re-started training women on making lac jewellery after 2019, from October 2023.?

"I have only worked with cold lac before and didn't know about its adverse effects on one's health.?However, after joining SEWA and receiving training to use warm lac, I have gained the skills to create various types of jewellery.?Additionally, I have become a part of the stitching centre at SEWA Rajasthan and would love to become an entrepreneur someday. Although I had to halt my studies for personal reasons,?I now feel excited about future prospects.", says Khushi ben, a recent youth member of SEWA Rajasthan and a participant in the lac training."

This is the first time I received training on making products from lac. We were told about the history of lac and also got hands-on experience in making the same. As the SEWA Shakti Kendra (community outreach centre?of SEWA) is close to where I live, it was relatively easier for me to also enroll in training?for stitching and computer classes.", says Fatima ben, member of SEWA Rajasthan from Jaipur and a fellow participant in the training. In 2019-20, 150 bens were trained and the aim is to further train 120 bens.

While numerous products crafted post-training have successfully found buyers through exhibitions, the necessity for ongoing marketing support remains evident. The challenge lies in navigating the competitive landscape of warm lac products, given the prevalent affordability and accessibility of cold lac. Moving forward, the focus should be on establishing a consistent workflow for lac artisans, thereby discouraging reliance on the more accessible cold lac.

Making Women In The Informal Economy Ready For Professional Success

SEWA Bharat has recently collaborated with?Twenty-one CC Education?to train informal women workers to join the logistics and warehousing industry. Twenty-one CC Education designed a 3-month long, self-paced learning module that supported 150+ young girls and women from Haryana and West Bengal to understand various concepts on warehousing, communication and job-readiness.