Research & Insights

It’s a Sunday morning during monsoons in Lalitpur, a settlement on the outskirts of Kathmandu City and Krishna Debi is preparing Chattamari, fondly called ‘Nepali Pizza’ for some customers who sought

Far away from Male, Gadhdhoo is a small island that’s known for its remarkable mat weaving tradition. Handcrafted largely by women, home-based workers from the Thundukuna community, the woven mats are

The imposing hills of Taplejung, a district in Eastern Nepal, are carpeted with large cardamom plantations. One of Nepal’s leading large cardamom producing districts, Taplejung contributes the world’s

The Eastern Himalayas straddle three South Asian nations, Nepal, India, and Bhutan, which also happen to be the main producers of large cardamom, a specialty spice that enjoys wide appeal across South

The ocean is the lifeline of the Maldives. It is the calming blues of the ocean that draws in tourists to the country. And it is the food from the oceans that sustains the lives and livelihoods of

Deepa, a home-based worker lives with her family in Tirupur, Tamil Nadu, India. She has been working as a home-based, garment trimmer for the past eight years and her husband works as a master cutter

There are more than 67 million home-based workers in South Asia, of which a majority are women. Yet, they remain one of the most invisible sectors of informal workers in the region. Vulnerable women

For SEWA Ruaab the pandemic provided a unique scenario – a chance to reinvent, breathe life into a struggling enterprise. Founded in 2010, Ruaab is rooted in the Self-Employed Women’s Association

How A Grassroot-Level Organiser, In Ahmedabad, India, Gave Up Her Daily Wages In Order To Organise Her Community And Link Them To Basic Services. Ramilaben lives in a crowded settlement of over 300

How A Newly-Confident Grassroot-Level Organiser Helped Hundreds Of Women Access Work During The First Wave Of The Pandemic. “I wouldn’t even have the courage to speak,” Noorbanu says, recalling her

A Home-Based Worker Leader Dedicates Her Energies To Building Awareness On The Issue Of Violence Among Women Workers And Their Families. “Just a few months ago, one of the home-based workers in my

A Home-Based Worker Leader From Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley Is Ensuring Voice To Victims Of Violence. Bhagbati Gautam has been a home-based worker for more than a decade, working and living in Bhaktapur

Founded in 1988 under Seva Mandir’s income generation programme, Sadhna is a women-led home-based worker enterprise specialising in textile crafts. When it was founded, Sadhna was unique because it

The year 2020 was a landmark year for HomeNet South Asia. It was two decades ago, in a historic setting, in 2000, that governments from across South Asia came together with SEWA, WIEGO, UNIFEM (UN

“We are struggling for our basic meals and are under a lot of stress.”These words by Shabnam Shaikh, a home-based garment worker from India’s Ahmedabad, resonate with the lived experience of over 61

For centuries, the South Asian region has been renowned for its textile traditions and heritage. These skills have been nurtured and perfected not in busy factories and by famous brands but by unknown

New Delhi – India’s capital – is battling a particularly rough 2020. In February, 2020, riots broke out in large parts of the city. And just while the capital was limping back to normalcy, COVID-19

For the far-removed eye, the landscape of North-Eastern Nepal can represent a veritable paradise. It is made up of towering mountains and hills whose peaks are often haloed with swirls of mist and

In the era of lockdowns and physical distancing, grassroot-level organisations face challenges when communicating with and staying in touch with its membership. Women home-based workers, across South

The spread of COVID-19 across South Asia has resulted in the large-scale shutdown of business operations. While almost all industries have been adversely affected, the garment industry is one of the

The COVID-19 outbreak has impacted global garment supply chains causing brands and retailers to close shops and cancel orders from sourcing factories. This has resulted in mass layoffs and has had a

In April, this year, a much-dreaded headline popped up on news feeds across India. Dharavi – Asia’s largest slum – reported its first COVID-19 related death. The narrow lanes of Dharavi – where close

The 2019-2020 Coronavirus pandemic has brought the world to a grinding halt. As of late March 2020, the disease has infected citizens from across the world and has resulted in the deaths of many.

The terms ‘invisible’ or ‘hidden’ are often used when referring to women homeworkers in garment and footwear supply chains. Their work is often undervalued and remains unseen by the retailers and

South Asia’s 50 million home-based workers, a majority of whom are women, are significant contributors. Their earnings ensure the welfare of their families, communities and national economies. Within

This year, the Australian Open brought cheer to India’s leading garment hub – Tiruppur. The Hindu, a national daily, reported that ball boys and girls along with courtside statisticians, at the

Home-based work is a critical source of employment in the South Asian region and, estimates suggest, that it is home to over 50 million home-based workers. In the countries that make up South Asia

Driving around Bhutan’s capital, Thimphu, will bring you face-to-face with many awe-inspiring structures – one of them in the Supreme Court. The lavish building is adorned with colourful, traditional

How A Social Enterprise In Udaipur Organises And Links Home-Based Workers To Global Supply Chains It was a quiet day, when we arrived, in Kamli Ka Guda. The expansive highways that stretch out of

A day in the life of Maya - “I can just about feed my family, why do I need a policy for home-based workers?” laments Maya, a home-based worker. Maya, lives with her husband, a daily wage labourer, a