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SEWA

"The gigantic destruction caused by one of the most devastating earthquakes in Gujarat has been irreparable. Many innocent lives have been lost, thousands and thousands of people rendered homeless, and even more lost their near and dear ones. The nightmare of the earthquake still haunts them. At this juncture, we at SEWA - Self Employment Women Association - pledge to do something worthwhile for the people affected by the earthquake.

"Based in Gujarat, a place of rich traditions, our organization was formed in 1972 with the aims and objectives to empower underprivileged women by working out strategies to set up their own business. We link them with working capital, build their capacity, place in market and assure social security like child care, health care etc.

"It is indeed very disheartening to see that most of the women in the rural area have no income security, work security, or even social security. And to make the matter worse, the women have no direct relationship with their employer, which makes it even more difficult to fight for their own rights. These women are excellent with the needle and thread, which they have inherited from their tradition. But the women artisans used these skills for their domestic use only. However, living in a desert and drought-prone area where survival itself is a challenge and employment opportunity a far away dream, they either venture out of their village in search of employment or are compelled to do the earth digging work of government drought relief work. They even sell their valuable embroidery products at a throwaway price.

"So, we in SEWA in order to recognize their talent, decided to help these deprived women in the district level by helping them in marketing skills, so they can generate substantial income through their traditional skill. And today, with the blessing of our well-wishers, we have about 300,000 women artisans out of which 2/3 of our membership are from rural areas. We at SEWA together with all our well-wishers, hope to make a better life for all deprived women.

"As a part of our ongoing mission to support and empower underprivileged women artisans, we team up to work for the earthquake-affected women artisans by exhibiting their talents and making them self-reliant.

"All our products are hand-embroidered with handmade materials. Every purchase of these products will go directly towards the rehabilitation of the earthquake affected artisans."