SEWA’s journey towards climate resilience - Building climate resilience for informal women workers with parametric insurance and the Climate Welfare Facility, 2023–2025

SEWA (Self-Employed Women’s Association) in India works with millions of informal women workers who are highly vulnerable to climate change. Between 2023 and 2025, SEWA developed and scaled a climate insurance model to protect members from extreme heat, rainfall, and cyclones.

It started in 2023 with a pilot heat insurance for 21,000 women, but no payouts were triggered due to high thresholds. In 2024, the model was improved and expanded to 50,000 women, introducing lower triggers and small cash support, which resulted in significant payouts and helped members cover health, food, and education costs during heatwaves.

In 2025, SEWA expanded coverage to 250,000 women and added multi-hazard insurance (heat + cyclone + rainfall). It also created the Climate Welfare Facility (CWF), which combines savings, insurance payouts, and emergency financial support to provide a more complete safety net.

Key lesson: Climate insurance alone is not enough—real resilience requires a combination of insurance, savings, emergency support, and community-based systems designed around workers’ lived experiences.

SEWA’s approach shows how financial tools can help poor women cope with climate risks while also improving financial inclusion and dignity.