India, March 8 -- Organised strength in the form of SHGs or cooperatives help women in increasing their livelihoods and bargaining power

Can development programmes sponsored by the government lead to poor women's empowerment? At the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), a member-based organisation of poor informal sector workers across 18 states of India, we believe they can, if rightly used.

If given a chance, poor women are eager to be part of development and come into the mainstream of social and economic lives. SEWA follows a need-based and demand-driven approach. We identify the needs and issues of the members and link them with government programmes. We do not create parallel structures and it also helps in effective delivery ...