NGO’S AS AGENTS OF CHANGE IN WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT

The SEWA Case Study 1 are frequently in competition with one another for the same work. They may work from home, or may be out in the streets, market places or farms and fields to eke out a living. As self employed women, they need year-round work, fair wages, training to upgrade their skills, maternity protection and childcare, small loans to purchase raw materials and work tools, and legal help to fight against exploitation in the market. By ensuring these, SEWA has become a movement, which works towards the development of the complete human being and not just the worker. This is in keeping with the Gandhian ideology that it has adopted. The guiding principle behind the running of the organization is self-reliance, which is attained through full employment at the household level. Full employment includes: sustainability, social justice and social security. The broader vision is participation, integration and interdependence of the various units of the SEWA family, as it believes in the relevance of local ownership and knowledge