For 30 years, Namrata Bali has organized urban and rural women in the Self-Employed Women’s Association. In her earlier years she organized them into handicraft and handloom cooperatives all under the banner SEWA. She was the secretary of SEWA from 2001 to 2003 and General Secretary of SEWA from 2003 to 2005. Later for 3 years was Treasurer of Self-Employed Women’s Association.

She is a core member of SEWA and its Executive Committee, Chair & Editor of SEWA’s fortnightly magazine Anasooya, Editor of Aakashganga (girls’ magazine and the chair of Video SEWA Cooperative), Director of SEWA radio (Rudi No Radio), Trustee of Lok Swasthya Health Trust and a member of board in various SEWA’s sister’s organisation.
She is the director of the SEWA Academy also known as IASEW (Indian Academy for Self Employed Women training, research, and communications. She is also the strategy Advisor in Home Net South Asia Trust. She continues to give training on SEWA Movement , Member-based organisations of the poor Organizing. Union and cooperatives, leadership and other thematic programmes related to women in the informal economy. Her other specialization is training in documentary work & other applications related to ICT, on issues of the poor and has been the Managing Trustee of Indian Academy for Self Employed Women from its inception.

Namrata specializes in textile design and studies in labour and cooperatives and has presented papers nationally and internationally on several issues involving working class women. She also sits as a board member of International Federation of Workers Education Association (IFWEA). She is the member of Evaluation committee in Gujarat Vidyapith, under the International Peace Education Programme on Gandhian studies and a National Resource representative in the Mahila Samakhaya Programme run by the State.

I would like to serve as a candidate for the Executive Committee of IFWEA. Since last 30 years, my experience has been in workers education-building cadres of grassroot leaders, researchers, communicators, facilitators, video graphers, radio-jockeys who play a very important role in capacity building using popular education methodology in the informal economy. Within the SEWA Learning hub it becomes very important for us to take our experience globally among similar workers and bring the knowledge and wisdom from like-wise Worker Education Organisation. My experience has been in PRA tools designing simple creative training modules and Training of Trainers at local national regional and international level.

These experiences with not only strengthen IFWEA and its programmes for informal economy workers worldwide but also in working out the digital platform, OLA and other trainings that are done for its affiliates.

I think it is very important to share and strengthen our organisations, archive and take actions as well as build the workers education movement. I can contribute to this and make it happen.