Mirai recalls the outrage that erupted once SEWA members chose Chanchi Ben as the health worker of her community. "The village menfolk and some upper caste members asked how she could become the local leader, but we stood by her side."
"Today, Chanchi Ben has been asked to step in as sarpanch [head] of her village, and the upper caste, who wouldn't allow her to cross their threshold, invites her home for delivery of life-saving medicines. And she hugs their babies and gives them polio drops."
This is just one example of a woman on the road to economic empowerment after joining the SEWA movement, Mirai says. "There are thousands of others, and it's a work in progress. It's a journey."
The informal sector plays a pivotal role in the Indian economy, as it employs 90% of the workforce and generates half the economic output, according to a BBC report.
Read the rest at World Economic Forum
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