Across India, SEWA’s health cooperative, Lok Swasthya SEWA Mandali, has established innovative Shakti Kendras (empowerment centres) that deliver invaluable benefits to informal workers and their families. In addition to providing preventative health information, community health workers spend their long days helping SEWA members connect to government programmes and access the health benefits to which they are entitled.
This Workers’ Lives essay offers an intimate look at the community health workers, the range of services they provide in a challenging policy environment—and what they gain in return.