Supportive services like savings and
credit, health care, child car, insurance, legal aid, capacity building and communication
services are important needs of poor women. If women are to achieve their goals of full
employment and self-reliance, these services are essential. Recognising the need for
supportive services, SEWA has helped women take a number of initiatives in organising
these services for themselves and their SEWA sisters. Many important lessons have been
learnt in the process of organising supportive services for and by poor women. They
provide these services in a decentralised and affordable manner, at the doorsteps of
workers. Further, supportive services can be and are themselves a source of
self-employment. For example, midwives charge for their services and creche workers
collect fees for taking care of young children.
Also, women are ready to pay for the
services and in fact, this results in the financial viability of the supportive services.
They do not have to be totally dependent on subsidies and grants. Some supportive services
like savings and credit, health and child care have formed their own co-operatives. these
cooperatives have gained operational self sufficiency. SEWA bank has achieved financial
viability for many years now, while the other cooperatives are steadily moving towards
this.
