We are Poor but So Many: the Story of Self-Employed Women in India

When Ela Bhatt, author of this book and founder of the Self-EmployedWomen's Association (SEWA), expressed doubts about the feasibilityof a bank for poor women workers, her colleague, a used garmentdealer, responded ‘we may be poor, but we are so many’.Three years, and many struggles later, they had establisheda profitable bank serving over 11,000 customers with savingsand loans, and governed by representatives of its member-customers.This book tells the story of the development of a union of womenworkers in the ‘informal sector’ in India. It detailsthe almost paralyzing structural challenges, the determinationand solidarity of the women, their impressive achievements andtheir disappointments. It offers an example of how participatorycommunity development efforts, with the right supports,