Amid growing civil society’s interest in the mutual model based on the principles of self-help and cooperation, SVS put its efforts to the growth of workers’ mutuals to help stablize livelihood of precarious workers and small business owners.

SVS signed a loan agreement with the Garment Workers’ Mutuals in National Chemical, Textile, and Food Industry Labor Union (June 2020) and provided seed fund for the formation of self-help mutual funds. This fund aimed to enhance the poor working conditions of sewing industry workers and business owners, to solve their seasonal demand for funds, and reduce their difficultires to access the institutional financial market.

As of the end of December 2023, the cumulative number of borrowers was 124, an increase of 72% from the previous year, and the cumulative loan amount was KRW 673 million, an increase of 62% from the previous year.