A group of women artisans have travelled all the way from Gujarat to greet US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday. They will present her an embroidered toran (door panel) and an embroidered jacket for her daughter Chelsea. The artisans,from Santhalpur taluka in Patan district,will get to meet Clinton at Hansiba Creations Boutique on Napean Sea Road at 11.30 am. The boutique is a trade facilitation initiative of the NGO SEWA (Self Employed Womens Association). The toran was gifted to me by my mother when I got married. She had knitted it when she was very young. It is many decades old. Though it is very close to me,I am giving it to Hillaryben with all my heart so that more people know about SEWA through her, said Gauri Ramabhai,who has been an embroidery worker with SEWA for 20 years. Clinton has been associated with SEWA since 1995,when she met Ela Bhatt,the founder of the million-member NGO working towards womens empowerment. She will meet SEWA members,volunteers and facilitators. Clinton is interested in womens economic empowerment and has always supported SEWA. Tomorrow she will get an update on what we are doing and what projects we have undertaken of late, said Mona Dave,vice president of SEWA and CEO of SEWA Trade Facilitation Centre. SEWA aims at integrating the large chunk of women workers at the grass-roots into the mainstream global market. We have nearly 104 different trades within the informal sector in which these women are employed. Their jobs vary from agriculture,artisanship,embroidery,kite making to incense stick making etc. Most of them work from their houses, said Reema Nanavaty,director of rural economic development. Clinton will spend about an hour interacting with leaders and the women artisans,who will showcase the merchandise they have crafted. We will also update her on the activities of Global Womens Trade Finance Council that was founded in 2007 by Clinton and Bhatt in New York, Dave said.
