SEWA uses blockchain to empower informal women workers
The Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) is a pioneer in the fight for women’s rights and empowerment in India. Established in 1977, SEWA has been working tirelessly to promote the rights and interests of informal women workers, who are often overlooked and marginalized. In a recent move, SEWA has leveraged the power of blockchain technology to provide informal workers with secure, verifiable records of their employment and identity. This initiative aims to bridge the digital divide and improve access to essential services such as credit, welfare, and health services for thousands of women in India’s informal economy.
The informal economy in India is vast and complex, with millions of workers operating outside the formal sector. These workers, often women, are forced to rely on unreliable and unverifiable records of their employment and identity. This lack of documentation makes it difficult for them to access basic services such as credit, healthcare, and social security. SEWA has identified blockchain technology as a potential solution to this problem, allowing them to create secure and tamper-proof digital records of their employment and identity.
Through its new digital health wallet initiative, SEWA is using blockchain to create a secure platform for informal workers to store their health records, vaccination certificates, and other important documents. This digital wallet will allow workers to access their health records from anywhere, at any time, and share them with healthcare providers, insurance companies, and other stakeholders. The blockchain-based platform will also enable SEWA to track and verify the authenticity of these records, ensuring that they are tamper-proof and secure.
The digital health wallet initiative is just one part of SEWA’s larger strategy to empower informal women workers. The organization is also working to provide access to formal credit and employment opportunities, as well as training and capacity-building programs to help women develop new skills and increase their income-earning potential.
SEWA’s blockchain initiative is being driven by partnerships with leading organizations in the fintech and blockchain sectors. The organization has partnered with the blockchain-based identity verification platform, Civic, to develop the digital health wallet initiative. SEWA has also partnered with the fintech company, MobiKwik, to provide access to formal credit and employment opportunities for informal workers.
The SEWA-Civic partnership is a groundbreaking collaboration that aims to leverage blockchain technology to create a secure and verifiable identity verification system for informal workers. The system will use blockchain to create a decentralized and tamper-proof record of workers’ identity, which can be shared with employers, banks, and other stakeholders.
The MobiKwik partnership is also a significant development, as it will provide informal workers with access to formal credit and employment opportunities. MobiKwik is a leading fintech company that provides digital payment solutions to millions of users in India. Through its partnership with SEWA, MobiKwik will provide informal workers with access to formal employment opportunities, as well as credit and loan facilities to help them grow their businesses.
SEWA’s blockchain initiative is a bold and innovative approach to addressing the challenges faced by informal workers in India. By leveraging blockchain technology, SEWA is able to create secure and verifiable records of employment and identity, which can be shared with employers, banks, and other stakeholders. This initiative has the potential to bridge the digital divide and improve access to essential services for thousands of women in India’s informal economy.
As the Indian government continues to grapple with the challenges of informal labor, SEWA’s blockchain initiative is a beacon of hope for millions of workers who are often overlooked and marginalized. By providing access to secure and verifiable records of employment and identity, SEWA is empowering informal workers to take control of their own lives and futures.
Source:
https://www.thecore.in/technology/sewa-blockchain-formal-credit-employment-women-836465
