Members of the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) working as bricklayers on a building site. SEWA began in Gujarat in 1972 when a group of poor, illiterate women working as casual labourers in Ahmedabad's wholesale textile markets came together to form a trade union for self-employed women. SEWA, which is based in Ahmedabad, now has over a million members in Gujarat, and around two million in the rest of India. While around 94 percent of India's female labour force still lacks union representation, women in SEWA have been able to improve their incomes and working conditions through collective action. The organisation provides a range of services to working women, including affordable banking, training, and access to healthcare and education.