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SEWA hosts ZANAMA exchange visit
By Self Employed Women’s Association and Elizabeth Mfula Nshenda, Estellah Mambwe Chisenga and Rebbecca Mwanza Mbasela, ZANAMA Women

Three members of ZANAMA, Elizabeth Mfula Nshenda, Estatellah Mambwe Chisenga and Rebecca Mwanza Mbasela visited SEWA from 18th to 23rd September 2006. 

The objectives of the exchange visit with SEWA in India were learning: 

· how SEWA was established;
· how SEWA has managed and continues to represent women informal workers;
· about SEWA’s Social Protection scheme benefits members;
· how SEWA deals with the challenges it faces as a women’s informal economy union. 

The visit was one of the many activities organised by Streetnet International as ZANAMA is affiliated to AZIEA, which is a StreetNet affiliate.

SEWA 

The ZANAMA members learnt that SEWA was founded by Ella Bhat, a lawyer who saw the need to organise the women working in the informal economy in 1972. SEWA’s members are self-employed women who work in various sectors including informal trading (street and market vendors), farmers, homeworkers, etc. 

SEWA’s main concern is representation of the self-employed women who are members of the trade union. SEWA also provides education and loans to its members through its bank. 

They toured the natural markets - Mansi, Jivari, Manineger, Gomptipur, Jamalpur, Bedra, and visited a wholesale vegetable shop and shop number 40 Jamalpur. They also visited the SEWA video centre, Gandhi Ashram, SEWA Bank and Judge Shri RA Mehta. 

Their visit was very interesting as they learnt and were inspired by their fellow women’s commitment in uplifting their standard of living and fighting for their rights.

It was amazing to learn that SEWA Bank was established solely by SEWA’s members, who are very poor, but who are also great in number: SEWA has 700 000 members. 

The SEWA Bank and Education Centre inspired the ZANAMA Group due to its contribution to the economic and social wellbeing of members through skills empowerment and loans. 

The SEWA Cooperative works for members by sourcing markets for their goods and in some cases, selling on their behalf.

During the visit they participated in:

Trade Council Meeting - The different methods and strategies used in organising vendors of Ahmedabad city were explained by the leaders to the ZANAMA group.

Trade committee of vendors - In the trade committee of vendors the problems faced by the vendor members of Ahmedabad were discussed. They participated in a negotiations meeting with Municipal Commissioner, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, where the problems faced by the vendors of Hattkeshwar area were discussed by the senior organisers and leaders.

Legal training of vendors - The ZANAMA group observed how legal training of vendors is conducted. Street vendors are constantly harassed by the police regarding their vending place. The training included how the police should behave with women vendors, how a complaint is to be filed in a police station and an examination of sections under which the complaints against vendors are issued by the police. The ZANAMA group was impressed by the training and want to provide such training to the vendors of their country. The problem faced by Zambian vendors regarding levies and taxes and their struggle and solutions were related by the ZANAMA group. The vendor members of SEWA were impressed by the ZANAMA struggle for vendors against levy increases and for representation.

Workers’ Education class conducted by SEWA - The importance of the vendor as the worker, and vendors’ contribution to the economy and the struggle of SEWA are explained to the new vendor members by the old vendor members. The ZANAMA group understood the importance of such classes for vendors. They want to start worker education classes in their country.

Visit to markets: Bhadra, Jivraj and Mansi etc

Jivraj Market: Nearly 500 vendors vend in this area. They were evicted as a bridge was to be built. After much struggle and negotiations between SEWA and Nagarpalika Municipal Council, these vendors were relocated under a bridge. This was shown as an example of a good outcome from negotiations and a best practice.

Mansi Complex Natural Market: Due to SEWA’s struggle on behalf of 400 vendors of Mansi Complex, a platform was constructed by the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority. This struggle was related to the ZANAMA Group. 

Meeting with the lawyer of SEWA - The ZANAMA group attended a discussion regarding the problems faced by the vendors of Ahmedabad city. The national policy for street vendors and the importance of street vendors were also discussed.

During the exchange visit, the ZANAMA group was very active and enthusiastic and wanted to know more about SEWA and how SEWA deals with vendors’ problems. 

We learnt that SEWA members are still fighting for legal recognition of members’ right to earn a living, and that: 

· Street and market vendors are harassed, work at places with no facilities and are forced to bribe police officers to enable them carry out their activity of the day; 
· SEWA continues to fight for the rights of its members and is struggling to fulfill its goal of full employment and self-reliance for all;
· SEWA is fighting for full coverage of social protection of its members as enjoyed by formal workers;
· SEWA continues to organise more workers.

In the words of the ZANAMA members: “The visit enriched our experience and knowledge as we were able to learn much that is new to apply to our own organisation and the problems that ZANAMA faces in Zambia.”

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