The writings highlight the experiences of members of a group who began living and working with the families of women who earn their living in the informal sector from different places globally: Ahmadabad in Gujarat, India, Durban, South Africa and Oaxaca, Mexico. With the aim of examining issues on the informal sector, poverty, gender and economic, each member of the group here pours forth an account of the personal impact the exposure had on him/her and on the main technical issues that arose in the exposure and interactions with the women and their families. The accounts cover the living conditions of the families, the employment scenario, and social security and its impact on productivity, growth and poverty alleviation in the country. They stress on the need for a link between poor producers and trade opportunities and come up with other suggestions.