Ela Bhatt

Indian activist who founded SEWA, empowering millions of self-employed women through labor rights and financial inclusion.

Ela Bhatt (1933–2022) was a visionary social entrepreneur who transformed the lives of India's informal workforce by founding the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) in 1972. Recognizing that 94% of Indian women labored in unregulated sectors—like street vending, farming, and home-based work—Bhatt pioneered a union model combining labor rights, microfinance, and healthcare access.

Under her leadership, SEWA grew from 300 members to over 2 million, establishing cooperatives, a bank for low-income women, and advocacy for policy reforms. Bhatt's philosophy of 'gentle resistance' emphasized dignity over confrontation, earning her global accolades, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award and inclusion in UN committees on sustainable development.

Her work inspired microfinance movements worldwide, proving that marginalized women could drive economic change. Even posthumously, SEWA's model remains a blueprint for grassroots empowerment, making Ela Bhatt a beacon of inclusive feminism.