Women daily-wage construction workers earn independently but lack access to bank accounts, pensions, and welfare schemes, limiting financial independence and long-term security,
Samvaad Saathi is a practical empowerment service enabling women daily-wage construction workers to take control of their finances and secure their future. The project began with immersive field work, including interviews, observation, and collaborative workshops with women workers, NGOs, and local authorities, to understand the real challenges they face in accessing banking and social security services.
Many women, despite earning their own wages, are forced to rely on their husbands or male family members to manage money, limiting their autonomy and decision-making. Samvaad Saathi addresses this by providing guided, step-by-step facilitation: helping women gather necessary documents, open bank accounts, register for pension and welfare schemes, and understand their earnings and savings options. During pilot testing, real women workers successfully opened accounts and enrolled in pension schemes, demonstrating that the service is not only feasible but also highly impactful.
Beyond immediate financial access, Samvaad Saathi empowers women with knowledge, confidence, and long-term planning skills, creating a foundation for sustainable change. By focusing on solutions that meet the practical needs of women and girls, the project shows how thoughtful, trust-based services can have measurable impact and advance gender equality. Its structure allows replication in other cities and sectors, offering a scalable model to improve the lives of informal women workers across India.
