NEW DELHI - On a visit to India that saw her attend billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s daughter Isha Ambani’s wedding, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shared the inspiring story of a woman she first met in 1995 and had a chance to reconnect with 23 years later. Ela Bhatt founded Self-Employed Women’s Association in 1972 that helped women with small loans. These loans helped many Indian women find their feet and help their families. Clinton said she first met Bhatt in 1995 at their Ahmedabad headquarters.
With 14,000 members the organization was growing. All the women came from extremely poor families, some were disabled and many were abandoned by their husbands. Not only did the organization help them to earn money but also taught them to read and gave them business lessons, Clinton said. Calling the model as “microloans” she said Ms Bhatt and SEWA “have always been ahead of their time.”
Clinton described how moved she was with the thousands of women sharing their experiences of how SEWA had “changed their lives with freedom and opportunity”.
The organization grew to a million members in 2009 and now the number has doubled. When Clinton visited them in 1995 and this year, the woman sang “we shall overcome” in Gujarati.
Hillary Clinton wrote how proud she was of SEWA and as she was in touch with Ms Bhatt these years, she has had the chance to see the organization and its impact grow even larger over the years. She ends her post with a few empowering sentences which say, “Every person should have the chance to achieve his or her dreams and make the most of their God-given potential-no matter how rich or poor and no matter whether they work in a factory or a home or on the side of a road.”
When Clinton visited the SEWA headquarters she was joined by designer Anita Dongre.
“It was a privilege for me to have been a part of such a special evening with Hillary Clinton and the women members of SEWA. The women were filled with enthusiasm in having such a global powerhouse and woman champion amidst them who took the time to inspire, motivate and applaud them,” Dongre said.
“She heard all the game-changing stories of these courageous women and was heartwarming to see her relentless support and encouragement to help these women achieve economic empowerment and independence,” she added.
Having been familiar with Dongre, whose designs she has worn in the past, Clinton said: “I’m very excited about someone as accomplished and successful as Anita Dongre being here today because she has an international brand, that she has built and she will find more ways to work with SEWA members. I think that’s another innovation that will grow overtime.” Dongre’s commitment to revive the Indian crafts and empower women led her to work in close association with these artisans on her brand Grassroot, a sustainable luxury prAat label, and she now extends the work to her bridal couture line. Through this, she aims at providing employment to rural women with the comfort of their homes. “Women empowerment is close to my heart and we’re privileged to be associated with SEWA and use design as a tool to achieve this goal,” said Dongre.
Clinton described how moved she was with the thousands of women sharing their experiences of how SEWA had “changed their lives with freedom and opportunity”.
The organization grew to a million members in 2009 and now the number has doubled. When Clinton visited them in 1995 and this year, the woman sang “we shall overcome” in Gujarati.
Hillary Clinton wrote how proud she was of SEWA and as she was in touch with Ms Bhatt these years, she has had the chance to see the organization and its impact grow even larger over the years. She ends her post with a few empowering sentences which say, “Every person should have the chance to achieve his or her dreams and make the most of their God-given potential-no matter how rich or poor and no matter whether they work in a factory or a home or on the side of a road.”
When Clinton visited the SEWA headquarters she was joined by designer Anita Dongre.
“It was a privilege for me to have been a part of such a special evening with Hillary Clinton and the women members of SEWA. The women were filled with enthusiasm in having such a global powerhouse and woman champion amidst them who took the time to inspire, motivate and applaud them,” Dongre said.
“She heard all the game-changing stories of these courageous women and was heartwarming to see her relentless support and encouragement to help these women achieve economic empowerment and independence,” she added.
Having been familiar with Dongre, whose designs she has worn in the past, Clinton said: “I’m very excited about someone as accomplished and successful as Anita Dongre being here today because she has an international brand, that she has built and she will find more ways to work with SEWA members. I think that’s another innovation that will grow overtime.” Dongre’s commitment to revive the Indian crafts and empower women led her to work in close association with these artisans on her brand Grassroot, a sustainable luxury prAat label, and she now extends the work to her bridal couture line. Through this, she aims at providing employment to rural women with the comfort of their homes. “Women empowerment is close to my heart and we’re privileged to be associated with SEWA and use design as a tool to achieve this goal,” said Dongre.
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