Gujarat Mahila Housing SEWA Trust

Finalist 2017

The Mahila Housing SEWA Trust (MHT), located in India, is an autonomous organization promoted by the Self Employed Women’s Association. MHT’s overall objective is to improve the habitat conditions (housing and infrastructure) of poor women in the informal sector. The organization has devised systems for the community to switch to energy efficient practices through an array of means, such as building capacity of community women to become micro energy auditors; demonstrating efficient technologies in the communities and offering microcredit to support women in adopting more efficient technologies. Their efforts have resulted in the reduction of household expenditure on energy and the decreased use of kerosene, improving household health and reducing carbon emissions.