SEWA Cooperative Federation (SCF) and Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM) formalised an MoU on 28 November 2025 to build structured collaboration in cooperative education, capacity building, and field-based research. This SEWA VAMNICOM MoU supports structured collaboration in cooperative education and field-based strengthening.
Both institutions work with a shared commitment to improve cooperative governance, leadership, and enterprise systems. SCF brings its experience with over 112 informal women worker-led cooperatives, while VAMNICOM contributes cooperative education, training, and research capabilities.
Shared Objectives of the SEWA Cooperative Federation MoU
The SEWA VAMNICOM MoU is built on shared cooperative values and a commitment to gender-inclusive strengthening:
- cooperative values, including democratic functioning and transparency
- mutual benefit through co-created programmes
- a women worker–centred lens, informed by SCF’s grassroots cooperative experience
- integration of academic and practitioner perspectives
- sustainability, including financial sustainability and climate responsiveness
Key areas of collaboration under the sewa coop. Fed. & Vamnicom mou
- Training and Capacity Building
Co-designing and delivering training modules for women-led cooperatives
Providing WESS-based services (training, mentoring, diagnostics) at mutually agreed costs
Facilitating guest lectures and workshops with faculty and cooperative leaders
- Field Based Research and Documentation
Joint studies on cooperative governance, digitalisation, climate resilience, and emerging models
Case studies and working papers based on SEWA cooperatives
Policy briefs and toolkits for state and national cooperative systems
- Cooperative Consultancy Support
Technical assistance for governance systems, statutory compliance, restructuring, and leadership strengthening
Support for cooperatives in sectors such as care work, home-based work, and agriculture
- Internships, Exposure and Recruitment
Field learning and immersion opportunities for VAMNICOM students within SEWA cooperatives
Co-designed student projects that reflect current cooperative challenges
Recruitment pathways for specialised roles in finance, data, or cooperative incubation
Connection to the national cooperative policy
The draft National Cooperative Policy highlights the role of cooperative education institutions in improving governance, leadership, and sector-wide training systems.
This MoU creates a formal structure through which VAMNICOM and SCF can contribute to those priorities by:
- strengthening educational support for cooperatives
- linking academic curriculum with field realities
- building gender-responsive training models
- generating evidence for cooperative policy discussions
Implications for cooperatives
- improved training access
- professional advisory services
- field-based research inputs
- stronger links to national cooperative institutions
- leadership development opportunities for women members
About the partners
SEWA Cooperative Federation works with women-led cooperatives across India through its Women’s Enterprise Support System (WESS), which focuses on enterprise development, capacity building, research, and governance.
VAMNICOM is India’s national institute for cooperative education, offering postgraduate programmes, sectoral research, and capacity-building initiatives for the cooperative sector.
SEWA Cooperative Federation held the National Conference for Women Cooperators with VAMNICOM on June 9-10, 2025. Read insights from the conference here.
