ABSTRACT
Self-employed women are caught in the vicious circle of poverty, indebtedness, no government assistance and low income. The main objective of Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) Bank is to help poor women reverse the process of decapitalization at the micro-level and to begin the process of capitalization. A woman needs different types of financial services throughout her life. Savings schemes can greatly assist lifetime planning for the education and marriage of children or for old age. SEWA Bank collaborates with the Reserve Bank of India, State governments, insurance companies, apex institutions such as the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development and national housing finance organizations. Banking for development with poor women requires an approach that meets their particular needs and draws on their capabilities. The worldwide interest in poor women's finance has restricted itself to micro-credit programmes. SEWA Bank's integrated approach distinguishes it from other micro-credit efforts.
