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Martha Chen, lecturer in public policy
at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, introduces
Ela Bhatt. Ela Bhatt is the founding director of the Self Employed
Women's Association (SEWA), the largest primary trade union in India,
and served as the general secretary of SEWA for 25 years. Trained
as a lawyer, she worked for the Trade Union of Textile Workers, founded
by Mahatma Gandhi, before founding SEWA. Established in 1972, SEWA
is not merely a trade union. Rather, SEWA is comprised of numerous
sister organizations, including a women's cooperative bank, the SEWA
Academy, a craft design and marketing wing, and SEWA housing trust.
Furthermore, SEWA organizes its members into trade groups to fight
injustice in the marketplace, to assist its members in achieving financial
security, and to gain more access to social welfare programs.
To compliment Bhatt's discussion, this program incorporates visuals
of the work of SEWA in India from the independent documentary film,
"Made in India," directed and produced by Patricia Plattner of Light
Night Production. For more information about "Made in India," please
contact Women Making Movies at info@wmm.com or info@lightnight.ch.
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