SEWA-ACADEMY

In Year 2012 - 2013

The Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting presents IASEW’s community radio station, Rudi no Radio, with two awards at the Third National Community Radio Sammelan on 10 February 2013 at Vigyaan Bhavan, New Delhi.
Doordarshan, the government TV channel, awards Video SEWA’s Leelaben Dantaani with the "Pratham Tejasvini Award 2013" for her continuous immense efforts as a videographer.
SEWA, WIEGO, and Harvard University jointly organised an "Exposure Dialogue Programme" in Ahmedabad, from 27th January to 1st February 2013
SEWA celebrated 40 years of building self reliance
Gujarat Rajya Sahakari Sangh awards Video SEWA Cooperative with Best Performing Co-operative of the State on 14 November 2012.

In Year 2011 - 2012

SEWA Academy received UNFPA -'The Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity 2010-11 (Western Region)' in the Special Award category 'Efforts to empower women through media' on 19 December 2011 at MICA, Ahmedabad.
PROSVIL CGIL organised a video production workshop in Rome, Italy, from 18-26 March 2011. Two members of Video SEWA participated.
The Canadian Co-operative Association awards the Leadership Innovation Awards to SEWA members on 10 February 2011 at the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA). Leela Dantani, a Video SEWA member, was among the 22 attendees who were presented with the award for her outstanding contribution to the Video SEWA Cooperative.
SEWA's Rudi no Radio wins two awards in the First CEMCA Community Radio Awards for Good Practices 2011.

In Year 2010

Skill Education and Communication Centre is initiated by SEWA Academy through which vocational training and life skills training are provided to adolescent girls. Currently, Skill Education and Communication Centre are functional in 10 areas of Ahmedabad and efforts are being put to start more centres.
'Killol' Programme is broadcast from SEWA’s Community Radio Station for 6 to 14 years old children.

In Year 2009

Indukumar Jani (writer and social worker), Ela Bhatt (founder of SEWA), and Jayantika Jayant (editor of Anasooya), release their book SEWA Na Chand on 18 December 2009 at SEWA’s Annual Meeting held in Manipur.
IASEW celebrates International Women’s Day with women from Liberia during a two-day symposium organised by Liberia’s President, Ellen Johnson Sir leaf, and Finland’s President, Tarja Helone.
After a prolonged struggle, SEWA’s Rudi no Radio obtains government permission to start its own community radio station (CRS) from IASEW’s rural training centre at Manipur Village, Sanand Taluka. The CRS is the 49th radio station in the country and was inaugurated by the IASEW team on 26 November 2009. The radio station broadcasts in 20 villages of Sanand and Daskroi Taluka from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the 90.4 frequency. The initiative is entirely managed by women who have had no formal training in mass media.
Around 800 13-year-old girls from the Akashganga Centre and IASEW’s Skill Education and Communication Centre participated in Akashganga Girls’ Exhibition on 24 December 2009 in Manipur, Sanand Taluka.

In Year 2008

Renana Jhabvala and Namrata Bali conduct a research study on “My Life My Work” in the year 1993. The study was then updated in the year 2007. The main focus was to ascertain the impact of SEWA on representatives/leaders, over a 35-year period.

In Year 2007

Anasooya releases its book, Mugdhavastha ni mujhvan ane mavjat, on 8 February 2007. The film Paras-par sahakaar ej HIV no padkar is also released that same day.
A group of 21 people from Empowerment through Creative Integration (ECI-Ltd.), from Islamabad, Pakistan, visit SEWA from 19-24 June 2007 on an Exposure Tour. They also visit SEWA Bank, IASEW, Gram Haat, Unnat Bazaar, SEWA Design, SEWA Federation, Banascraft, SEWA Kalakruti, etc.
Video SEWA’s My Life My Work receives the Social Documentary Award at the Guidonia Film Festival in Guidonia, Italy, from the Mayor. Of the 310 entries, 13 films were chosen.

In Year 2006

IASEW members participate in the information communication technology (ICT) conference organised by the World Summit Information Society in Tunisia.
IASEW members participate in the international workshop on Workers Education and Workers Media in a Global Economy organised by the International Federation for Workers’ Education Associations (IFWEA) from 4-6 April 2006 in Cape town, South Africa.
Martha Chen, a lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard University and the international coordinator of the Global Research Policy Network for Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), completed the “SEWA@30” project with IASEW. Under the project, a book entitled Impact was published in 2005. The book assesses the impact of specific SEWA services and strategies on its members.
Three hundred women participated in a rally organised by the IASEW Literacy Division to celebrate World Literacy Day on 8 September 2006.
The Audio Cassette Swasthaya Sandesh was released on 6 October 2006 at Dayan Sammelan. The nine songs recorded for the cassette were developed by IASEW in association with Lok Swasthya Mandali under the Swasthya Sanchar Programme.

In Year 2005

IASEW members participate in an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) workshop organised by Swami Nathan Research Foundation – MSSRE and coordinated by Global Knowledge Partnership Foundation from 15-22 October 2005.
IASEW members participate in a workshop on uplifting the underprivileged through the ICT Challenge for Voluntary Organisations, organised by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management, Gwalior.
IASEW members participate in the workshop Achieving Multilayer Gender Equality in the Field of Education till 2015. It took place at Le Meridian in New Delhi and was organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry in collaboration with UNESCO.
Five members of Samata Organisation, including the Finance Director, Deputy Director, Coordinator, and Project Officer, participate in a four-day Exposure Programme on 22 April organised by IASEW.
A member of Video SEWA participates in the Geneva world summit on information society (WISIS) from 15-25 March 2005.
In April 2005, IASEW starts its own radio programme, Rudi no Radio, with All India Radio (national radio).

In Year 2004

IASEW took note of International Women’s Day on 12 March 2004 in a celebration organised by IASEW’s Literacy Division at Aabadnagar in Danilimda’s Shanti path Centre. Attendees included (among others) IASEW members, Mr. Frederick of the Hilton Foundation and Vidulaben of Akhil Hind Mahila Parishad, Ahmedabad.
Ms. Karoi Honda from Japan visits SEWA and conducts a research study on SEWA Training to ascertain the types of training provided by IASEW. She interviewed 30 women and presented her results.
On 20 August 2004, IASEW initiates a six-month computer training programme in association with ACT (Academy of Computer Education), based on the demand of SEWA members’ daughters to learn more about technology.
IASEW members participate in Women in Media workshop organised by the National Commission for Women at Vignyan Bhavan in New Delhi on 6-7 August 2004.
A seminar — Media as Vehicle for Change — is jointly organised by the Indira School of Communication (ISC), The Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC), and The Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation (FES) on 16-17 September 2004 at Pune. A member of IASEW presented the paper “Empowerment of Women through Media” during the event.

In Year 2003

IASEW conducts a research study on the milk cooperatives of Ahmedabad and the Gandhinagar District.
The IASEW training department conducts a Post Graduate Diploma course on Universalising the Socio-Economic Security of the Poor with the Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands and with the Centre for Development Studies in Trivandrum.
IASEW participated in the Third World Water Forum in Japan.
IASEW participated in a workshop conducted by Robert Chambers from Institute for Development Studies in Sussex, who is an expert on Participatory Rural Appraisal.

In Year 2002

IASEW’s Research Division conducted a study on women working in more than one trade and the situation of their work. The research team also conducted a study on incense stick makers and ready-made garment workers.
IASEW’s Research Division conducts a census study on rag pickers.
An Educational Exhibition is organised by the IASEW Literacy Division on 19 September 2002 at Behrampura in Ahmedabad. A Sports day is organised on 9 October 2002 on Gandhi Jayanti at Home Guard Ground in which 250 women participate.
In collaboration with IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre and Partners and the Foundation of Public Interest (FPI), IASEW’s Research Division undertakes a study on Transforming Water into Money. Subsequently, it is been ranked first in the world among research studies on Water and Poverty. This study is presented at the Third Water World Forum.
The Video SEWA team learned nonlinear computer techniques and started utilizing the same in their work.

In Year 2001

IASEW members participate in a Training-of-Trainers (TOT) organised by the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) in Hyderabad on the topic of Training Methods and Communication Skills.
Around 600 newly educated women participate in celebrations on World Literacy Day on 8 September 2001, organised by IASEW’s Literacy Division at Tagore Hall in Ahmedabad.
On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti (Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday), IASEW’s Literacy Division organised a rally to promote Literacy. Approximately 475 women participated in the event.

In Year 2000

For the development of team members, a four-day training session is organised by IASEW’s Research Division — one of many trainings held during the period of January to May. Research Professor S. P. Punalekar, Dr. D. S. Shah, Dr. B. T. Kazi, and Dr. B. Swaroopdas of the Centre for Social Studies in Surat, provided training and explained in detail the importance of different research methods, such as quantitative and qualitative research, analysis and writing.
The Cambodia Women’s Media Centre organises a workshop on vendors’ issues. IASEW member Rajiben, a vegetable vendor, and Savita Patni, a team member and Video SEWA member, both participate in the event.
Around 400 girls and women of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar Taluka participate in a celebration organised on World Literacy Day. Around 6,000 women became literate and learned to read and write and were eager to learn more. The members studying in literacy classes performed a play called Education at Our Doorstep.
Video SEWA was registered as the Gujarat Women’s Video SEWA Information and Communication Cooperative Society Ltd. on 1 June 2000.

In Year 1999

The Video SEWA Film Festival is organised by the National Foundation for India, New Delhi, at the Silver Oak Indian Habitat Centre in New Delhi on 10 February 1998.
227 women participate in Nav Sakshar Camp on World Literacy Day on 8 September 1999. It took place at Manipur in Sanand Taluka.
IASEW hosts a special Exposure and Dialogue Programme (EDP), with German parliamentarians and senior World Bank and German development agency officials. The EDP aimed to learn, in depth, about the lives of working class women, their work, their struggles, and their approaches to dealing with the insecurity and vulnerability they face daily.

In Year 1998

SEWA and Charkha jointly organised a four-day writing/training camp on 18 March 1998 at Anasooya’s office in Akhbar Bhavan, Gandhinagar.
IASEW participates in a five-day workshop entitled Caste, Poverty and Employment at the ILO Training Centre in Turin, Italy.
IASEW members participate in a programme called Capacity Building through Communication, Film, Video and TV, which took place at the Development Study School in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was organised by Save the Children South Central Asia.
Video SEWA celebrates its 14-year anniversary by organising a video festival at the National Institute of Design (NID) Auditorium in Ahmedabad on 20 April 1998.
IASEW members participate in a Doordarshan meeting —Doordarshan being India’s government-owned TV channel — on 15 September 1998 to represent Video SEWA.
The first workshop on newly educated women was organised on 18 September 1998 at Manipur, Sanand Taluka.
IASEW participated in a 10-day workshop organised by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Yemen, started on 19 September 1998.

In Year 1997

Jayantika Jayant, Editor of Anasooya, receives the Gujarat State 1995-96 Best Journalist Award in the field of women’s development on 18 May 1997 from Chief Minister Shankar Singh Vaghela. Moreover, the Gujarat Branch of All India Women’s Conference presents the Shri Bhanuben Patel Vishesht Chandrak award to Jayntika Jayant in recognition of her unique social contribution. The Governor of Gujarat awarded it to her.
SEWA begins three major research efforts at the state, national, and international levels to raise the profile of the economic contribution of women in the informal sector. At the state level, SEWA and other research organisations — namely the Gujarat Institute of Development Research, Gandhi Labour Institute and Centre for Social Studies — conduct a micro-level study on the contributions of the informal sector. At the national level, SEWA collaborates with the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) on a series of studies on both the macro and micro levels which look at the informal sector’s contributions from many different angles. At the international level, SEWA collaborates with Harvard University and UNIFEM (United Nations Fund for Women) in a new initiative that aimed to bring the informal sector into the mainstream through research, statistics, and programmes which lead to changes in policies.
Video SEWA’s Tees Karore Kahan Hai? (Where are 30 crore informal sector workers?) Was telecast on Delhi Doordarshan on International Workers' Day, 1 May 1997.

In Year 1996

IASEW initiates 34 new Literacy Classes in different localities for adult women and their daughters.
IASEW members participate in the 18th International Women’s Film Festival from 14-31 March 1996. Video SEWA’s four films, Video SEWA: Women’s Alternative, Kanya Ratna, A Journey from Rs. 7 to 4 Lakhs and I am Shakti, are screened thrice. They also conduct a five-day video training session during the festival.
A Training-of-Trainers (TOT) is organised by IASEW from 6-9 March 1996. Sixteen members participate. Dr. Norma Lange-Tagaza from GTZ (now known GIZ) in Germany conducts the TOT and teaches eight methods to the Trainers.
Ismail Serageldin, Vice President of the World Bank, visits IASEW on 24 November 1996 during his visit to SEWA Bank.
Video SEWA’s Leela Datania enters the Limca Book of Records as the first illiterate woman worker to be a video film producer.
Anasooya is published independently by a newly formed organisation, Shri Mahila SEWA Anasooya Trust.
On 14 November, Children’s Day, Anasooya Trust launched a new monthly publication, Akashganga, for our member’s daughters aged 8-14 years.

In Year 1995

Mrs. Hillary Clinton, First Lady of the U.S.A., visited SEWA in Ahmedabad. SEWA members presented the activities of SEWA Union, SEWA Bank, Gram Vikas, Social Security, Cooperatives and IASEW (or SEWA Academy as it was known at the time) in an open discussion with the First Lady.
IASEW members participated in the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, China, from 4-15 September 1995.
IASEW undertook and produced the Social Security Needs of Rural Women study at the request of Udyogini, an NGO based in Delhi. The study was of an Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS) programme run by the Sangini Co-operative and commissioned by UNICEF.
Video SEWA won international recognition when it received an award for its video titled A journey from Rs 7 to Rs 4 Lakhs at the UN Women’s Conference, Beijing. Further, three SEWA-produced videos were broadcast at the national level.
Anasooya acquired its own premise at Akhbar Bhavan, Gandhinagar, along with other newspapers of Gujarat.

In Year 1994

A weeklong conference was organised on Women Empowering Communication in Bangkok from 12 February 1994 onwards. IASEW members conducted two workshops on Video SEWA and its utility. Around 5,000 women participated in the conference.
Video SEWA organised 21 days of workshop for 15 women from rural and urban areas. Barkley Stuart, Renuka Berry, Shelly Stuart, and the Video SEWA Team provided training on Communication for Change.
IASEW members presented two papers on the Trade Union Movement SEWA’s Experience and Trade Union and Cooperatives at the Nordik Forum of Finland from 2-8 August 1994.

In Year 1993

The Cultural Division of Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), an autonomous organisation of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, organises a two-day conference on Video Film in which two members of Video SEWA participate. Both women, though illiterate, were proficient with video equipment. A five-minute film on the meeting was made and telecast on Doordarshan (India’s government-owned TV channel) along with an interview with Video SEWA’s founder, Leela Datania
IASEW participates in a three-week training session organised by the Afro Asian Institute of Tel Aviv, Israel, on planting seedlings on uncultivated desert land.

In Year 1992

IASEW conducts research of SEWA members’ socio-economic position as well as research on head-loaders, contract-labourers, and ready-made garment workers.
IASEW initiates Literacy Class on 5 November 1992.
Video SEWA’s film on women’s empowerment, entitled A Women’s Alternative, is selected for the Festival International de Films de Femmes in Paris.

In Year 1991

SEWA Academy is created in 1991 and becomes the focal point for capacity building, communications, and research efforts. The two communication media, Anasooya and Video SEWA, are involved in awareness raising and in increasing information and knowledge about the SEWA membership.
The work of informal sector women is considered an economic activity. To highlight its importance, a programme called My Life My Work was produced by Video SEWA and is utilized during a census survey. This programme becomes very famous and is telecast from Rajkot and Ahmedabad Doordarshan.

In Year 1989

Efforts are made to bring all SEWA trainings under one umbrella and thought is put into making it functional. Thus, after a meeting of experts from various fields (legal, labour, education, health management, and co-operative), it culminates in the need to form the SEWA Academy (now known as the Indian Academy for Self-Employed Women, or IASEW).
Video SEWA is awarded the Feldafest German Award.

In Year 1987

Video SEWA had a three-week editing workshop conducted by Communication Expert, Martha Stuart. During the workshop, participants learned simple editing techniques. After an initial period of practice during which participants gained confidence at the editing table, recorded productions were edited. The new programmes had more interviews and visuals. They were shorter in duration and addressed more aspects of a particular problem. The tapes mainly cover the issues of vegetable vendors, tobacco-processing workers, home-based ready-made garment workers, SEWA Bank, SEWA co-operatives, oral rehydration therapy, smokeless stoves, interviews with SEWA group leaders and organisers, and processions featuring garment workers and vendors.

In Year 1984

A three-week video production workshop is held. The workshop is one in a series conducted by the Village Video Network (VVN) that is co-sponsored by Martha Stuart Communication (New York) and the United Nations University (UNU-Tokyo). Members of grass root organisations in developing countries are taught to use video as a tool of development communication. These members are linked in the VVN global network. Member countries can exchange programmes to enable communications between people beyond geographical borders.

In Year 1982

SEWA’s magazine Anasooya is created. It is published on a fortnightly basis in the Gujarati language.

Indian Academy for Self Employed Women (IASEW)

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