Date: March 26, 2026
Time: 05:30 PM
Venue: Lecture Hall 2003, Block 7, IISER Berhampur
Flyer Link: Click here to view
‘SEWA now and SEWA in Future’
Our Founder Ela Bhatt always said “Poverty is also a form of violence with the consent of the society. ” Therefore SEWA was founded in 1972 by her. SEWA was born out of the Textile Labour Association founded by Mahatma Gandhi. We follow the Gandhian values of truth, nonviolence,simplicity, fearlessness in our day to day organising and work.
We at SEWA come together as poor, as women, as workers – no matter what caste or community or religion we belong to. We come together to build our collective strength to fight poverty. Earn a life of dignity and self reliance.
At SEWA, we believe that poor do not want charity. Therefore we believe in a contributory approach, it brings mutual accountability. Also the members just do not remain workers and producers but become owners and managers of their own trades and enterprises.
Padma Shri Reema Nanavaty - Padma Shri Reema Nanavaty is a distinguished social leader and development practitioner who has dedicated over four decades to empowering women in India’s informal sector. She joined the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in 1984 and has played a transformative role in strengthening the organization. In 1999, she was elected General Secretary of SEWA, where she led a significant expansion of its membership, making it the largest union of informal sector workers globally.
Her work has consistently focused on advancing full employment, economic independence, and self- reliance among SEWA’s 1.7 million members, particularly women engaged in agriculture, labor, and small-scale enterprises. Through innovative grassroots initiatives, she has contributed to sustainable livelihoods, food security, and climate-resilient development.
In recognition of her exemplary service, Reema Nanavaty was awarded the Padma Shri in 2013 by the Government of India. Her contributions have also been honored with numerous national and international accolades, including the Jacques Diouf Award on Global Food Security (FAO, 2013), CNN- IBN Innovating for a Better Tomorrow Award (2014), ITUC Dorje Khatri Award (2016), FICCI Water Award (2016), and the Agriculture Leadership Award (2021), among others. Today SEWA is implementing Parametric Climate Insurance for its members. Conducting study using sensors to understand the effect of heat on our members.
