The world over women struggles with career options. Can women be professional chauffeurs? Can they become car drivers on hire? The problem of employment is bigger in the marginalized part of society. Lack of education and lack of family planning makes earning enough money difficult.
What happens when you have migrated from one place to another? What happens when you are not educated, have no skills and have several mouths to feed?
Population control, adult education, and skilling India, all have a role to play. Only the last option will help both in the short term. Women who are from the disadvantaged part of society, work under extraordinary circumstances to earn enough for their family.
Too many mouths and not enough resources make things worse. But how can you help? This is where the work being done by Azad foundation is important.
What is the Azad Foundation doing?
Azad Foundation is a charitable trust in Delhi strives hard to fight, the persistent gender inequalities in India. There is a need for finding non-traditional, safe, high-return earning options, for economically weak women in urban areas.
But is that even possible?
Yes, and they have shown the way!
Women on Wheels is a successful flagship program of the Azad Foundation and Sakha.
Together they helped more than 1600 socio-economically weak women to become employable.
Skilling and employability in the transport industry as chauffeurs paved the way for financial independence.
They have successfully provided safe rides to more than a million women.DTC’s first woman car driver, UN’s first woman driver was all part of the Azad family.
What is nontraditional work for women?
Training women to become drivers,
masons, electricians, plumbers, etc make work options available. Skilled work in a specific, high demand niche can help women make enough income while working with dignity.
To meet the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) you need to include women. The development will only be sustainable if its benefits accrue equally to both women and men, and women’s rights will only become a reality if they are part of broader efforts to protect the planet and ensure that all people can live with dignity and respect”
Now compare the following scenarios :
Shantaben, 45 years old, lives on a pavement in Ahmedabad city. She is an unskilled worker earning as a construction worker. Her life is a struggle every minute. From access to toilets, drinking water, food, childcare, and work.
At 300 rupees per day, she works 18 hours a day at the construction site and at home.She has no energy for anything else.
Somaben, 24 years old, has migrated to Ahmedabad from Banswara, Rajasthan, with her husband and 3 young children. Somaben lives and works in a construction site in
Ahmedabad. The challenging part is, she has a two-month-old, who is at the construction site with her, while she lifts heavy cement loads throughout the day. Let alone child care, she hardly has hardly any toilet breaks.
This is where Azad foundations Women behind Wheels is walking the right path. It is giving women in a marginalized part of society, a chance to get skilled and become professional drivers. A chance to earn a good living and live with dignity.
A few examples:
Shanti is a commercial chauffer with Sakha. Quite and confident she inspires confidence in her clients.
Azad Foundation India-women cab driver Chandni, studied up to the 10th standard and now she is financially independent.
Deepali A determined young woman from Ahmedabad, Deepali has exceeded her life expectations in becoming a professional driver.
The first two stories were vastly different from the last three. The difference is Shanti, Chandni and Deepali are now skilled and have control over their life. Azad foundation helped them get financial azadi.
The Women on Wheels programme started in 2008 in Delhi. Now it reached Jaipur, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Indore.
Who is this programme for?
- Young women
- Aged 18-35years
- Living in slums and resettlement colonies in cities.
- Socioeconomically backward.
- School dropouts.
- Interest to learn
- Hardworking
Women on Wheels programme helps socially excluded females, move from the margins to the mainstream economy.
A few statistics
- 2016-17, 582 women enrolled in Women on Wheels programmes across India.
- 322 women achieving their permanent license, which was a 41% increase on the previous year.
How do Women on Wheel help?
Women on Wheels give technical, self-empowerment and self-development training. It’s a way to learn, how to be a car driver.
Qualified women drivers are enrolled with a partner, Sakha Consulting Wings Pvt Ltd. They help employ female chauffers for Sakha cabs. The goal is to serve women customers with a women car driver in India.
Azad works with both government, business and non-governmental partners to give the highest quality training.
They help trainees get citizenship document.
They help them get accident insurance.
They also help them open a bank account.
They help with uniform and also registering a mobile phone number.
Self-defense, protecting themselves from violence and soft skills for communication and crowd management is also a part of the curriculum.
Testimonials from Women on Wheels alumni are proof of their commendable work.
“WHEN I WAS TRAINING, I WOULD FEEL LIKE I COULD STAND ON MY OWN FEET, I COULD DO ANYTHING. BECAUSE OF THAT I FEEL LIKE I’M LIVING MY LIFE FREELY TODAY – RESHMA, DELHI”
I LIKED SELF-DEFENSE THE BEST. WE WERE TAUGHT HOW NOT TO TOLERATE ANY NONSENSE ON THE ROAD. THOUGH I HAVE NOT HAD A NEED TO USE IT, I AM SURE I WILL BE ABLE TO PUNCH IF REQUIRED!” – MADHU PAWAR, JAIPUR
We can’t do everything all at once. What we can do is, skill those who need our help and who are willing to work for it.
Do you want to help?
Share the story of Azad by sharing this post with your friends and on social media. When women work and earn, can social change be far behind?
Sharing is good Karma!
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Great appreciable initiative. The best way to support someone is by making them financially independent and teaching them some skills to survive and earn. Kudos!!
This is a lovely initiative to empower women and give them a livelyhood. All the best to them.
Azad foundation is doing such a great job… Great write up also the women’s are so inspiring
kudos to azad foundation.. this is really good initiative
This is really a great initiative by Azad foundation. Love how they are helping women find way to persue their dreams and make their living. Great post
Absolutely loved loved loved this! What a wonderful initiative to empower women. Hats off! Truly very impressed by this and I hope it spreads to every single city and village in India!0
That is a great initiative for women, so glad to know about this. Really proud.
I never knew about azad foundation/sakha/women on wheels unless I went through this post. We want more such initiatives to empower Indian women , to make their future more secured. Loved , Loved this post:) Sharing it with my loved ones.
Hi Dr Amrita – wonderful to support these special women … driving can release us – particularly empowering women. Thanks for letting us know – cheers Hilary
I really wish the Azad foundation grows and cover more women under their umbrella. The financial independence is important for this section of women. And all too.
This initiative is one of the best that i have known so far. Supporting women to earn for their living is great.
Women on wheels is a great initiative to empower women , to make them independent and confident. Good that the training involves self protection techniques as well. This is incredible in my opinion.
No doubt the condition of women especially from unprivileged background is very poor. Azad Foundation is doing great job in empowering them
Kudos to Azad foundation for motivating and bringing a change in low socio economic women life.
Will surely share this post so that it reach to more and more people.
Good to see such a great foundation like this who think about women. A great way to empower women
This is such a qonwonder initiative to empower women from all sects . It’s must that these women gain the financial independence.
Love what Azad is doing for less privileged women. It is helping them grow and giving back them the much needed wings .Love this post. Sharing it further.
Azad foundation is doing such a commendable job. Their initiative not only empowers needy women but makes them financially independent and confident.
Excellent initiative! This is the sort of empowerment that will take women forward.
Must say, this is a wonderful opportunity for women..it can be a great step towards improving their lives and making them independent..
Woow its a wonderful initiative. Thank youuu for sharing this wonderful article. It’s a must read article.
Women have suffered enough and for long! It feels really good to see an organisation standing up for them ana their rights! Really impressed with Azad foundation!
This is a great foundation for helping women to come out and work as per their will. Great achievement till now.
Happy to know that there is someone who thinks about women. Azad foundation is doing a great job by training woman for work.
Azad foundation is indeed doing a great job by empowering women. This women on wheels initiative is indeed impressive
Good to know about women on wheels campaign and the Azad foundation who are empowering women. Such a good initiative. Thanks for Amrita.
That’s wonderful initiative by Azad Foundation to empower women from unprivileged background. Women on wheels is new hope for them
Such a wonderful initiative. I like coming back to your blog because everytieve there’s something different. Even this post! Spreading a word about it now.
The concept of women on wheels sounds so interesting. Nice initiative taken
Women on wheel is a wonderful set by azad foundation towards women empowerment. It surely going to help lots of family to survive without men support.
That’s a great initiative by Azad Foundation for the women empowerment. Hats off to them for this initiative.
This is so empowering for all women , such a wonderful step for the entire community and socirso on the whole, kudos !
I fall short of words when I hear such empowering stories. Kudos to these women.
It is so impressive to know the great work they are doing helping thoughts of women attain financial independence
I have always believed women are better and sensible drivers. This is a very good initiative. When they empower women they empower a generation.
That’s a great initiative by Azad foundation. I’ve read about it before too in the papers and it truly is empowering women from a different section of society.
What an unique initiative. When I had gone to the US for a conference, I had seen so many lady chauffeurs & wondered why is this not an employment option in India. It is great to use the utilisation of this unexplored opportunity area, I am sure this gonna make a difference.
What a wonderful concept and What better way to empower the women.
Empowering women to be financially independent through skilled work is a fabulous initiative of Azad Foundation. Will check more details of women on wheels in Jaipur and may be use their services. Thanks for sharing, Amrita!
Awesome story. It is always great to hear about people who are making the world a better place.
Thank you
This is a wonderful way to empower women..creating employment opportunities for women is a great initiative. .this will definetly help many women
Yes true
I came to know about the Azad Foundation when D.T.C. got its first ever woman driver , I am glad that they are continuing to help women realise their dreams.Empowerment is something we women have to work towards , society does not grant that to us like our male counterparts .Lovely post Dr. Basu !
Thank you Preeti
This is really amazing! And, yes we can not do it all st once but surly can do it!