SEWA
Academy Learning Hub is a repository of SEWA’s experience, knowledge
and integrated approach of over 35 years of organizing women of
informal sector for collective strength; capital formation through
access to financial services; capacity building and social security
(essentially health care, child care, shelter and insurance) in
order to enable women to emerge from poverty, vulnerability and
years of deprivation. The SEWA Academy Learning Hub would take the
learning’s to other organizations and individuals at local, national
and international levels.
Vision of SEWA
ACADEMY LEARNING HUB
The key role of the
international learning hub is to distill SEWA’s experience of
organizing SEWA workers in the informal economy over 30 years’ and
take the learning’s to other organizations and individuals.
‘To
support and build the capacity of membership based organisation of the
poor and urban working poor in informal economy by producing
innovative training resources and addressing capacity building needs
and demands of the membership based organisation of the poor at
local, national and global level.’
Activities of SEWA
ACADEMY LEARNING HUB
1.
Creating training resources by analyzing and distilling
SEWA’s experience
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To develop
the existing curriculum and training resources (multimedia).
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To develop a core educational
team-recruiting new trainers and simultaneously developing capacity
of the existing trainers by establishing linkages with similar
organisations, institutions and training courses.
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To utilize past work experience with
experts, consultants and research institutions to develop innovative
training resources.
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To apply appropriate technology to
design and deliver the most effective trainings through the medium
of electronic media, distance learning and satellite communication.
2.
Addressing training
needs of the project partners
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To produce need and demand based
trainings and exposures on SEWA’s experience and integrated
approach.
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To provide technical support to other
institutions at the global level by visiting other countries,
meeting members, assessing their needs, sending teams of experts
from SEWA, conducting trainings with members and staff to meet their
needs. In order to share the information, experience and the
integrated approach followed by SEWA with the institutions working
with informal sector and are interested in forming membership based
organisation of the poor.
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To conduct Exposure Dialogue Program (EDP)
for partner organisations and their associates. SEWA Academy to
train facilitator for conducting EDP. An EDP uses strategies of
immersion, reflection and dialogue to expose senior level
technocrats, bureaucrats and organizers to the realities of the
people whom their policies and projects might affect.
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To address the training needs of the
entire sister organisations of SEWA. SEWA Academy to hold education
classes for all new and potential SEWA members.
Membership Based Organisation of the
poor training
The training aims to educate on the concept of Membership Based
Organisation of the Poor, its characteristics and key features in the
context and experience and SEWA. Along with the case studies on type
of SEWA initiated MBOPs.
Clientele of SEWA
ACADEMY LEARNING HUB
At local and national
level: At present SEWA Academy offers training to SEWA National
Union Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodadra members, SEWA Gujarat Development
cooperative federation, Gujarat Mahila Housing SEWA Trust (MHT), SEWA
Bharat working in other states of India, National Alliance of street
vendors (NASVI). In next few years it will offer trainings to groups,
organisations and institutions who are working to form MBOP in other
countries.
At International
level:
HomeNet South and South-East Asia, IFWEA (International
Federation of Workers' Education Associations),
StreetNet International
Impacts of SEWA
ACADEMY LEARNING HUB
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Building and strengthening of local leadership leading to active and
effective participation of SEWA members.
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SEWA’s experience shared with host of
partners leading to replication and up scaling of the SEWA ‘model’.
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Visibility and sensitization to the
issues of the urban poor and knowledge about effective strategies of
addressing the issues of urban poverty.
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Promoting and strengthening
organizational efforts of the workers in the informal economy.
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Increasing the understanding of common
problems faced by informal workers, developing new ideas for
strengthening their organizing and advocacy efforts and join in
international campaigns to promote policies and actions that can
contribute to improving the lives of people in informal sector.
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Some impressions
of participants
“The MBOP training
enlightened us on SEWA’s approach, which is definitely an asset.”
"The exposure that
this training has given us has brought a new horizon in my life"
"This training has
inspired me to contribute something to my own community"
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