The Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) and the Algorand Foundation have launched a blockchain-based identity platform on mainnet, expanding on a successful pilot program from earlier in the year. SEWA, a prominent Indian organization supporting informal women workers, is leveraging blockchain infrastructure built on the Algorand blockchain to scale its programs and improve access to health and welfare services. This initiative involves onboarding thousands of women into a blockchain-enabled custodial wallet system through a new Digital Health Passport initiative.

The Digital Health Passport system integrates with India's digital identity (Aadhaar) and document-storage platforms (DigiLocker) to securely manage and verify documentation needed to access crucial government programs, including primary health care, child care, and pensions. The initiative aims to address the significant barrier of missing or mismatched documentation that often hinders access to these essential services. SEWA's community-based workers, known as Aagewans, assist women in various communities in Gujarat to identify and upload necessary documents into their secure digital wallets.

Previously, SEWA could only reach 40,000 of its 3.5 million members due to administrative challenges. The new web3 solution, powered by Algorand, is expected to dramatically increase this reach, empowering millions of women to independently manage their records and access public programs with enhanced transparency and trust. SEWA Director Mirai Chatterjee emphasized that this partnership with the Algorand Foundation is a crucial step toward including women in the digital economy and bridging the digital divide, noting women's adaptability and enthusiasm for accessible technology.

Algorand Foundation Vice President and India Country Head Anil Kakani highlighted that blockchain technology extends beyond finance, serving as a tool for inclusion. He emphasized SEWA's role in integrating millions of women into the digital economy, showcasing blockchain's capacity to securely and privately support real-world needs at scale. Furthermore, it ensures that the benefits of India's investments in health, child care, and other safety net programs reach those who may struggle to stay connected to the workforce.

Algorand Foundation Senior Support Engineer Meet Thosar described Algorand as the core of their Digital Health Passport, enabling secure identity confirmation and facilitating the scaling of programs like SEWA Shakti Kendras across their network. The system adheres to privacy laws, is scalable, and reduces the administrative burden on SEWA's team. It also sets the stage for future services, such as insurance onboarding, claims processing, and direct benefit distribution.

SEWA, founded in 1972, is India's largest central trade union of women workers in the informal economy, organizing nearly 3.5 million low-income, self-employed women across eight states. Its mission is to achieve full employment and self-reliance for women through grassroots organizing and service provision in areas like health care, child care, insurance, and housing. The Algorand Foundation supports Algorand's rapidly growing ecosystem by providing a developer environment, infrastructure, technical standards, and comprehensive support to builders and entrepreneurs, while also providing a framework for decentralized governance. The Algorand blockchain has evolved into a vibrant ecosystem, benefiting from institutional-grade certainty, resilience, low fees, instant finality, and a minimal carbon footprint.