In this article, Namrata Bali, Co-ordinator of the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) Academy in India, discusses education for self employed workers.

There are thousands of women throughout India making a living as self-employed workers earning the income vital to their family’s survival. Today, 93% of the workforce in India is self employed, meaning that they work in the ‘informal’ or ‘unorganised’ sector. These workers are not protected or planned for in government economic development schemes for the formal sector. The jobs of self employed workers range from homebased workers and paid labourers, to vendors and hawkers. Women comprise over half of this workforce and are in every occupation.

Poor women of India have little access to education, public programmes and government services. They also tend to be invisible to the legal system. This leaves self employed women vulnerable to harassment. The multi-dimensional forces of caste, community and religion furthers this invisibility at every level of society. Their work is not valued in the home, their education and mobility are constrained by local customs and their contributions and needs are mostly ignored by the state and national government.

Women’s Skills

Every poor woman is a worker. She works both at home and outside. But despite her long hours and contribution to the survival of the family, her jobs are not perceived as work. These women workers possess a myriad of skills and talents which are untapped. They are good managers who create and follow budget plans. Some women are skilled artisans and craftspersons, others knowledgeable traders. Repair work, construction work, agricultural labour all come within their purview. Self employed women are midwives, vendors, papad and bidi makers, seamstresses and tailors. Women raise cattle and make incense sticks. They have intimate knowledge of their living and working environments. All are experienced in crisis management and cope with the stresses of poverty daily. These women all possess hidden ‘shaktis’ or powers, which are waiting to be awakened. One of the biggest challenges we face at SEWA is to facilitate this awakening.

Against all odds poor women survive and accumulate a multitude of skills. They possess all the necessary acumen to become managers, planners and problem solvers. It is lack of access that keeps them in their roles. Given the opportunity, poor women have proven that they can become truck drivers, video producers, union organisers, community health workers, power tillers, shop managers, dairy co-operative owners, as well as members of the board and president of SEWA bank.

There are few opportunities for self employed women to come together and share their knowledge and learn new skills. Their vast body of information has not been documented and there is no structured system for training. In response to the educational needs of self-employed women, SEWA Academy was founded.

SEWA Academy

SEWA Academy provides a space where the body of knowledge possessed by self employed women can be examined, enlarged and built upon. It is organised into three main branches; research, communication and capacity building. The research unit is involved in examining the conditions of self employed women and the impact of SEWA programmes. Video SEWA and Ansooya, the quarterly newsletter, comprise the communications branch. Capacity building is undertaken in the form of training sessions, dealing with everything from leadership to health care.

The main objective of the academy is to build future leadership for the SEWA movement. This is done, to a large extent, through training programmes. Recognising that self employed women have already received an extensive informal education, the focus at the academy is not only on teaching, but also on sharing. SEWA training programmes are a two way process, with both trainers and participants taking part in the learning and teaching. Women come to their first session with the false idea that they are ‘uneducated’ and unable to learn. They soon put this notion aside.

Leadership Training

SEWA’s first capacity building training programme was on leadership. Through a nine month process of experimentation, ten modules for cultivating the leadership skills of self employed women were developed. This programme is structured around three main concepts: the value of women’s lives; the philosophy and structure of SEWA; and leadership tools.

The modules work to foster self-respect. One of the initial exercises is to properly introduce themselves, using their own full names. Women are typically called by the names of their father, husband or sons: Dinesh’s daughter; Ram’s wife; Parveen’s mother. Another exercise introduces women to the need for self-expression and the usefulness of drawings for illiterate women to record their lives.

The modules on the philosophy, organisation and 10 Questions of SEWA engage the women on a more intellectual level. The Gandhian philosophy of SEWA, based on the principals of self-reliance, non-violence, equality of all people and religions, abstinence from alcohol and tobacco, wearing of handspun and hand-woven Khadi cloth and simple living are all explained and discussed. The life of Mahatma Gandhi and the formation of SEWA are also introduced and discussed. The module on the structure of SEWA is used to show the contributions their actions make to the union. SEWA’s 10 questions are introduced as a way for the members to plan for their group and measure progress.

The modules on leadership are centred around a SEWA video on union leaders. The women analyse the interviews with SEWA leaders from all work backgrounds who have struggled with SEWA. They use this information to develop an inventory of the qualities of a good leader and leadership tactics and strategies which will be useful to them in the future.

Responses

The women are not paid for their participation in the training. According to the hundreds of women who have attended leadership training, what they gain from the training is well worth the loss of two day’s wages. Along with their personal growth, the women receive a SEWA diploma and group photograph. This tends to be the first award they have ever received.

The training is designed to encourage participant evaluation. The comments of the women who have participated are the best possible analysis of the effect of the programmes. They consistently express a desire to return for more training and the wish that all women could participate. When asked if there is anything else they would like to learn, they respond with a list of topics as diversified as their lives. They all want to learn.

Jadiben, an agricultural worker from Navapura village explained the impact of SEWA training: ‘Sisters, I was afraid to talk to strangers before, I would have never thought to go to the city, but now I travel all over. After taking part in the training, I have begun to organise other women in my village to form savings groups. I travel around my district motivating women to save money. I can address a gathering and if I have to talk to a headman or a policeman I do it fearlessly’.

Solidarity, self-confidence, a space to express their needs and dreams and plan for the future is the essence of the training plan. Through interacting with their peers, the women leave with much more than a certificate. They carry with them their increased motivation and dedication to improving their lives and the lives of all SEWA members. This is shared with their neighbourhood groups and spread throughout the movement.

Accomplishments

Through the initiative and action of working women SEWA had become an active union. Members use their skills to build the capacity of their communities. The Health Workers and Midwives co-operative is just one example of such activities. They have trained community health workers who replace doctors in their own neighbourhoods. All aspects of health, from first aid to dispensing medicine is handled by the health workers. The members run their own store in the municipal hospital, selling fairly priced medicines. How do women who had never attended school provide doctor services and run a drug store? Capacity building training simply builds upon untapped skills and encourages the self-confidence necessary for action. Illiteracy has never hindered Samuben, who works in the drug store. Although she does not read, she has a sharp mind and has memorised the names of all the medicines and their uses.

The midwives, who have helped bring thousands of children into the world, had never received any recognition or pay for their services. After taking part in capacity building training they formed their own co-operative and began to expand the scope of their services. Now they provide pre to post-natal care, and charge a set fee of 51 rupees.

Capacity building includes the introduction of new technology to women who have never had electricity in their homes. Women of the Van Laxmi Tree Growers Co-operative now use power tillers on their land. The computer age is also addressed in capacity building training.

The women of SEWA have proved their ability to exceed their societal roles. The capacity building training they take part in at SEWA Academy encourages the awakening of their hidden ‘shaktis’. The reserve of skills and knowledge they already possess, coupled with dedication, determination and training are the keys to their success. Landless, assetless, discriminated against at every level, these women possess the courage to struggle for change. When opportunities are made available, there is no limit to what they can accomplish.