Partnering with SEWA Kerala: Reflections on CraftHER

Introduction: Meet Sonia George & SEWA

Sonia George is a prominent leader in India’s informal labour movement. She serves as General Secretary of SEWA Kerala and is also National Vice President of SEWA India, with decades of experience organising and advocating for women workers in the informal economy.

SEWA (Self-Employed Women’s Association), founded in 1972, is a grassroots movement and trade union that empowers women workers in the informal sector, like artisans, home-based workers, domestic workers, vendors, and many more, through organising, training, and collective bargaining.

Over the past two years, Swara and CraftHER have had the privilege of collaborating with SEWA as a partner organisation. Our conversations with Sonia George have illuminated both the challenges SEWA faces and the sparks of possibility that CraftHER’s scholars have been able to ignite.

“Our people are hardworking. They are willing to learn.”

When asked how CraftHER benefitted SEWA, Sonia’s first response was deeply honest about their context:

“We want to do as much innovation as possible in order to find new opportunities for employment and also sustain the existing ones. But at the same time, we face so many issues like resources, human resources, financial resources… Our people are hardworking, they are willing to learn, they are willing to understand, but we need such kind of support.”

She reflected on how CraftHER’s scholars helped bridge this gap:

“Even though it was a short period, the kind of assessment they did, the kind of understanding the group brought was very useful. Their report and suggestions were extremely valuable.”

From reports to action: “We thought definitely, we should value your contributions.”

Sonia candidly shared how SEWA struggled to act on the first year’s recommendations due to internal crises and resource limitations. But in 2025, they made a conscious decision not to let the opportunity pass:

“After your last visit, we kept the reports with us. We knew these things were very helpful, but we couldn’t move forward. This year, when the next group came, we thought: definitely, we should value your contributions… Even those students from different parts of the world and their contributions. We should do something creatively.”

This shift led to concrete outcomes. SEWA mobilised small resources and immediately began implementing some ideas:

“Two of our people we have chosen for social media work, and Frida has started helping them for a few days… We don’t have resources, but we thought we’ll generate some. That’s how we jumped into it. Not in a large scale, but we are trying with whatever we have.”

The power of groups: “Through their teamwork, they could do better.”

We asked Sonia whether SEWA preferred having a group of five scholars for one week or one or two scholars for six weeks. She leaned toward the group model:

“I think as a group they are more creative. That’s what I felt. Through their teamwork, they could do better than individuals working. Because one or two of them may not be interested in such kind of work, but together, they are able to contribute more.”

Her words underscore the strength of CraftHER’s design, bringing diverse students together to think collectively with partner organisations.

On continuity: “Each year new people come, so we have to explain everything again.”

One key suggestion Sonia offered was about building continuity across years:

“Every time, new people come, so we have to explain everything again. There cannot be follow-up in that way. But maybe you, as the common person coordinating, can link each year’s activities with us. Comparing last year’s report with this year’s could help us scale up or take it forward.”

This is an insight we at Swara are committed to implementing for CraftHER 2026, ensuring that each group builds on the work of previous years, rather than starting from scratch.

Closing reflections: “We are extremely thankful.”

Sonia’s gratitude for the collaboration was heartfelt:

“We are extremely thankful and grateful to the CraftHER group for this initiative, and for the boosting you have given us. That is extremely, extremely useful.”

As Swara and CraftHER look ahead, we carry forward these lessons: the value of catalytic interventions, the creative power of groups, the importance of continuity, and the need to walk alongside organisations like SEWA as they innovate and grow within real constraints.

CraftHER’s partnership with SEWA is a reminder that change is built not just in grand gestures, but in small, collective steps that we take together.