Mexico Handicrats Trade Fair

As Indian business honchos looked at trade opportunities in South America during President Pratibha Patil's recent visit there, the women's self-help phenomenon Self Employed Women's Association also rubbed shoulders with the power elite there.
In Sao Paulo and Mexico City, about 30 local social entrepreneurs and business members came to meet the representatives of SEWA in order to discuss how they could work together in the field of women's empowerment.
While in Mexico, SEWA tied up with its CII partners, the Indian-Mexico Business Chambers, to start the Mexican chapter of the self-help organisation.
An MoU is all set to be signed between the Governments of Mexico and India for developing a market for Indian handicrafts in Mexico and vice versa. Several opportunities have emerged for SEWA to be in the mainstream market," said SEWA Director Reema Nanawaty, who also represented the organisation on the South American trip.
SEWA was representing grassroots industries. This has given a major recognition to SEWA in the mainstream of business and industries," Nanawaty said.

SEWA had meetings with the First Lady of Mexico Margarita Zavala de Calderon and Rafaela Luft, Director of FONART, the Indian self-help group's Mexican counterpart. The Government of Mexico has shown active interest in a bilateral agreement with India for a partnership between FONART and SEWA to start marketing of handicrafts between the two countries.