Mahila SEWA Trust (MST) is a registered public charitable trust established in the year 1972. Shri Elaben Bhatt, founder of SEWA had received the Ramon Magsaysay Award and the money received from this award was used as the founding capital for MST. MST provides financial support to charity purposes, including relief operations and support to people and households affected by natural disaster and calamities. MST is responsible for the support and developmental needs of SEWA members.

The main objective for MST is to undertake various trainings and capacity building activities for the development of the poor, informal women workers who are members of SEWA. These activities include trainings, capacity building activities, health care, education, skill development, water & sanitation for these women. All these activities in turn lead to alternative employment opportunities and provides economic security by providing employment opportunities and thereby enables and equips the poor women to fight poverty.

Appeal

For over five decades, Mahila SEWA Trust (MST) has been walking hand-in-hand with women, from salt lands to farms, from small villages to city lanes, helping them stand on their own feet with dignity, strength, and self-reliance. From organizing women workers to forming cooperatives, from promoting green livelihoods to creating safe spaces for children, SEWA is building a movement of women who lead, earn, and inspire.

Through the Mumbai Marathon, MST is not merely raising funds; it is raising hope. Every contribution will directly support women workers, mothers, and farmers to build a better life for themselves and their families. The impact of this campaign will be felt across communities, in healthier children, cleaner homes, stronger enterprises, and resilient livelihoods.

By supporting this campaign, each donor becomes a part of this journey, walking alongside millions of SEWA sisters in their pursuit of dignity, equality, and a brighter tomorrow. Sme of the ways Donors can make impact in lives of the poor are
1) Nutrition Kit for Poor Rural Children: Lack of access to affordable childcare is one of the greatest barriers to full employment and self-reliance for poor rural women. Therefore, MST has facilitated poor women in rural areas to form their own child-care cooperative - Shaishav. Today, 21 Shaishav Childcare Centers nurture and care for over 600 children aged 0 to 6 years, where working mothers find peace of mind, and little ones find love, learning, and nourishment. Support of ?15,000 provides monthly Nutrition Kits filled with fresh grains, pulses, milk, fruits, and vegetables, ensuring that no child studies on an empty stomach.
2) Angel Funding for Rural Women Entrepreneurs - Thousands of women in villages have the skills and dreams, they only need a small beginning. Your contribution provides Angel Funding to women entrepreneurs starting micro-enterprises in food processing, tailoring, trading, and handicrafts, helping them become self-reliant and confident. Donation of ?15,000 becomes the seed of her business, turning her skills into sustainable income and self-respect.
3) Biogas for Households - Many rural women still cook on smoky chulhas, breathing toxic fumes daily. Through MST’s Biogas for Every Home initiative, families are installing biogas units that convert kitchen waste into clean, eco-friendly cooking gas. This reduces indoor pollution, saves fuel costs, and brings better health for the entire family. ?15,000 gives her clean air, time for her children, and a greener tomorrow.
4) Agri Starter Kit for Women Farmers - Women farmers feed families, communities, and the nation, yet they often lack resources and support. The Agri Starter Kit provides women farmers with quality seeds, organic inputs, and essential tools to start sustainable cultivation. ?15,000 helps a woman farmer sow her dreams, harvest her strength, and secure her family’s food and income.
5) Salt Starter Kit for Women in the Little Rann of Kachchh - Salt, the simplest grain, yet the heart of every meal. But behind every crystal of salt lies the courage of thousands of women who toil under the burning sun of the Little Rann of Kachchh, where the land is white, the air heavy with salt, and life itself is a daily test of endurance. These women, known as Agariyas, spend months in harsh, isolated salt fields, working day and night to produce the salt that reaches our kitchens. ?15,000 supports women who turn the earth’s toughest lands into livelihoods of dignity and light.
6) Climate Insurance for 15 Poor Women - For poor rural families, one drought, flood, or cyclone can destroy everything they have built. Through Climate Insurance, MST facilitates protection for poor women from such climate shocks, helping them recover quickly and rebuild their lives with dignity. ?15,000 provides security against uncertainty, turning vulnerability into resilience to 15 poor women.

As MST continues to expand its movement across India, the strength of one woman becomes the strength of many. Every step forward creates ripples of change in families, in communities, and in the nation. It is about standing beside millions of women who are shaping a more equitable, sustainable, and compassionate India, one step, one dream, and one sister at a time.