Empowering Women

SEWA started organizing the women artisans and pledged three things: No woman seeking embroidery work would be turned away; all payments for work would be made in cash within ten days; and most important, sixty percent of the price of the product would go directly into the hands of the embroiderer.

The women had found work; they could work from home at their convenience; they did not need to migrate; they received cash in hand; their embroidery skills brought good income; they were becoming the main bread winners in the family; and they felt pride in their work.

Women producers’ collectives started sprouting all over the region, and they came together under the umbrella of the Banaskantha DWACRA Mahila SEWA Association (BDMSA) was formed. Today there are 66,000 members in the region.