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Mar 17, 2009

"Where once the poor were commonly seen as passive victims, microfinance recognizes that poor people are remarkable reservoirs of energy and knowledge." --Kofi Annan

An Empire of Women-Run Cooperatives

Thirty-five years ago in this once thriving textile town, Ela Bhatt fought for higher wages for women who ferried bolts of cloth on their heads. Today, at 76, she is still keen to see the poorest of Indian workers get a stake in the country's swelling and swiftly globalizing economy. She has built a formidable empire of women-run, Gandhian-style cooperatives -- 100 at last count -- some providing child care for working mothers, others selling sesame seeds to Indian food-processing firms -- all modeled after the Gandhian ideal of self-sufficiency but also advancing modern ambitions.