Planting Roots. Blossoming Livelihoods documents the first twenty years of SEWA Cooperative Federation’s journey alongside informal women workers who came together to build enterprises of their own. What began as an effort to strengthen women-led cooperatives evolved into a broad ecosystem of support spanning enterprise development, market access, capacity building, financial inclusion, policy advocacy, and leadership development.
Through stories of artisans, farmers, vendors, fish workers, service providers, and savings and credit cooperatives, the report traces how collective enterprise became a pathway to economic security, self-reliance, and dignity for thousands of women. It highlights the systems, partnerships, and innovations that enabled women to move from individual struggle to collective strength, while documenting lessons from two decades of experimentation, learning, and institution building.
More than a record of achievements, this publication reflects on the values and vision that guided the Federation’s work from 1992 to 2012. It offers insights into how women-owned cooperatives can create sustainable livelihoods, strengthen local economies, and expand opportunities for women who have historically remained at the margins of formal economic systems. As the Federation looks ahead, the report serves both as a celebration of twenty years of collective action and as a foundation for the work yet to come.
