Building SEWA Capacity

Over the past decade, and particularly since the pandemic, SEWA has experienced rapid growth in its membership, member-owned and led social enterprises (SEs), and district-level member-based organizations (MBOs). This growth has stretched the administrative and management capacity of the team and systems that support the many branches of the SEWA organization.

The BSC initiative is working to create organizational changes and upscale personnel for SEWA to expand its outreach to grassroots women and effectively provide services and income security to its over 2.9 million members. With the Global Fairness Initiative (GFI) and SEWA leadership, the BSC program is bringing together department heads, team leaders, consultants, and informal worker members to discuss their most pressing needs and generate solutions to develop and strengthen the skills, knowledge, resources, and abilities of SEWA members, member-based organizations, social enterprises, and communities.

GFI and SEWA are improving administrative, financial, technical, and management systems; substantially improving data-driven decision-making; and addressing the challenges of processes and market access for SEWA’s income-generating units through three prioritized and identified 3 phases:

Phase 1: Strengthening core systems and processes, staff capacity, and building knowledge

Phase 2: Building and strengthening the use of tools and technology around information management and organizational coordination, financial technology, and data integration

Phase 3: Provision of services to members through member-based organizations and social enterprises

Through capacity development of teams to support their organizational objectives and growth trajectories, SEWA will build long-term strategies to improve across multiple parameters including at the individual level (with the develop of adequate skills, knowledge, competencies and attitudes of SEWA members and leaders) and the organizational level (establishment of efficient structures, processes and procedures) to achieve SEWA’s goals.