SEWA is both an organisation and a movement with each strengthening and carrying forward the other. As a Sangam or confluence of three movements, the labour movement, the cooperative movement and the women s movement, it especially enhances the SEWA movement. The poor self-employed SEWA members organise for social change through the path of nonviolence and truth. SEWA organises women to enter the mainstream of the economy through the twin strategies of struggle and development. The union carries out the struggles on behalf of its members.
First development takes the form of helping members to create their own cooperatives and groups.
The cooperatives move towards early selfreliance, thereby offering an alternative, nonexploitative method of employment to the producer. Social security is another form of development, where the member is able to gain access to such social services and benefits as health care, childcare, savings and insurance. Any self-employed woman in India can become a member of SEWA by paying a membership fee of 5 Rupees per year. Four committed and experienced SEWA organisers are also elected to the Executive Committee. This body represents the major trades and occupations of SEWA members.