INDIA - North West (Gujarat) & North East (Odisha)
SEWA, IFPRI & Gram Vaani
Viable Information & Knowledge for Adaptation Solutions-AI (VIKAS-AI)
INDIA - North West (Gujarat) & North East (Odisha)
SEWA, IFPRI & Gram Vaani
Viable Information & Knowledge for Adaptation Solutions-AI (VIKAS-AI)
About
How this project makes an impact
The Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) has over 3.2 million members across 18 Indian states and its mission is to achieve full employment and self-reliance for women workers in the informal sector — meaning that each woman has work, income security, and the social protection (e.g., health care, child care, pension) needed to lead a dignified life. Rural women workers in India face increasing heat, floods, and extreme weather that harm their health and income.
This project uses an AI-powered WhatsApp advisor, grounded in IFPRI’s deep agricultural expertise and Gram Vaani’s experience in technological deployment, to give simple, local, job-specific weather guidance and connect women to climate finance support.
How AI drives resilience
Existing weather alerts are too general and hard for rural women to use in their daily work. AI helps translate complex weather data and local feedback into clear advice, like when to rest, move goods, or protect livestock, shared in local languages over WhatsApp. It also listens to community updates to keep improving its guidance.
Up to 20,000 women receive timely, easy-to-understand advice that protects their health, income, and assets. They move from reacting to disasters to preparing for them, gaining confidence, financial stability, and leadership in building resilient communities.
About
How this project makes an impact
The Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) has over 3.2 million members across 18 Indian states and its mission is to achieve full employment and self-reliance for women workers in the informal sector — meaning that each woman has work, income security, and the social protection (e.g., health care, child care, pension) needed to lead a dignified life. Rural women workers in India face increasing heat, floods, and extreme weather that harm their health and income.
This project uses an AI-powered WhatsApp advisor, grounded in IFPRI’s deep agricultural expertise and Gram Vaani’s experience in technological deployment, to give simple, local, job-specific weather guidance and connect women to climate finance support.
How AI drives resilience
Existing weather alerts are too general and hard for rural women to use in their daily work. AI helps translate complex weather data and local feedback into clear advice, like when to rest, move goods, or protect livestock, shared in local languages over WhatsApp. It also listens to community updates to keep improving its guidance.
Up to 20,000 women receive timely, easy-to-understand advice that protects their health, income, and assets. They move from reacting to disasters to preparing for them, gaining confidence, financial stability, and leadership in building resilient communities.
The project in numbers
287k
Funding received (USD)
50,000+ women
to be helped with advice and access to finance across 22 districts in Gujarat and Odisha
18 months
of funded impact
Interview question
"Describe the future you see for SEWA's 3.2 million members, in which AI and other combined technologies are being utilised on a day-to-day basis for impact?"
Answer
"SEWA has learned that technology in the hands of the poor strengthens livelihoods only when it has a foundation of participatory design and implementation. Our 3.2 million members need technology that augments labor, not displaces it, technology that protects against both climate and market shocks. We envision AI-powered climate intelligence delivered through WhatsApp as a daily companion: alerting a rural farmer or worker about dangerous heat, excessive rains, or shifting weather patterns with specific impacts on her health and livelihood, connecting her to insurance and credit, and providing immediate and long-term protective and adaptive strategies. Women shift from crisis reaction to proactive planning and resilience building. Beyond individual impact, aggregated data strengthens our advocacy for social protection policies with concrete evidence. Technology finally serves those on climate's frontlines, transforming vulnerable workers into resilient agents thriving despite uncertainty."
/ Name
Answer
"SEWA has learned that technology in the hands of the poor strengthens livelihoods only when it has a foundation of participatory design and implementation. Our 3.2 million members need technology that augments labor, not displaces it, technology that protects against both climate and market shocks. We envision AI-powered climate intelligence delivered through WhatsApp as a daily companion: alerting a rural farmer or worker about dangerous heat, excessive rains, or shifting weather patterns with specific impacts on her health and livelihood, connecting her to insurance and credit, and providing immediate and long-term protective and adaptive strategies. Women shift from crisis reaction to proactive planning and resilience building. Beyond individual impact, aggregated data strengthens our advocacy for social protection policies with concrete evidence. Technology finally serves those on climate's frontlines, transforming vulnerable workers into resilient agents thriving despite uncertainty."
/ Name
© Milkywire AB, 2025. All rights reserved. Mailbox 3306, 112 73, Stockholm, Sweden. All donations are handled by WRLD Foundation Sweden (registered with org ID No "802526 - 9328") and WRLD Foundation US (registered 501(c)(3) charity).
© Milkywire AB, 2025. All rights reserved. Mailbox 3306, 112 73, Stockholm, Sweden. All donations are handled by WRLD Foundation Sweden (registered with org ID No "802526 - 9328") and WRLD Foundation US (registered 501(c)(3) charity).