Help Women in India Become Professional Drivers

Working together with passionate people like you, we’re creating a world where women can fulfil their dreams, whatever they are.

Together, we have enabled a cohort of more than 1,000 underprivileged women in India to become employable as professional drivers, to earn with dignity and regain control over their own lives.

Over the years of helping resource-poor women deal with the numerous challenges they face on their journey to become drivers, we’ve learnt that involving men is crucial. Fathers, brothers, husbands, fathers-in-law, uncles…they more often than not make decisions about the lives of the women.

In many cases, male relatives of our trainees do not like the idea of them being ‘different’, entering ‘men’s world of driving’, spending so much time working away from home and their community… Sadly, very often, our trainees suffer at the hands of men in their families. And not just our trainees; so many women face these challenges.

Men for Gender Justice

For women to succeed to live independently, with dignity and without violence, Azad teams in Delhi and Jaipur have been working with 232 men from the communities of our women trainees. The goal is to transform thinking and behaviour of the men regarding the roles of women and men and violence against women.

Over the last year, we provided numerous training and community engagement opportunities for these men. We set up support groups where they regularly meet to discuss various topics, their thoughts and actions, and plan what can be done to make their neighbourhoods better places for women and girls.

The men took part in numerous public campaigns and community events, spreading the word about gender equality and Women on Wheels programme. They have put up posters with messages about rights of women around their neighbourhoods. They have created a map of unsafe areas of girls in their communities, where men often harass women.

Some have tried to convince their neighbours to treat their wives with more respect, and stop abusing them. Some have stopped harassing girls and intervened if someone near them was doing so. In many cases, they started sharing household work, giving the women in their lives time to pursue their ambitions.

Rahul from Jhalana in Jaipur confessed ‘I was initially against my sister joining the WOW programme. After becoming part of this group and taking training, I think differently. I now support her home and do not let anybody else harass her.

Also in Jhalana, members of the programme went and negotiated with a brother of a trained driver who was opposing to her being getting employed. After discussion with the men, the brother agreed and the chauffeur was able to join her new job.

Rahul from East Delhi shared that ‘From childhood I have been told that boys are stronger than women and more hardworking too. But these trainings have made me understand that girls and boys have equal capacities for things. They both have the same rights.’

Ajit from East Delhi shared ‘My friends were telling me that these NGO people are useless. Society does not change like that. I told them that you need to change your own attitude. Small changes will lead to big changes.’

As well as providing the training to women to become professional drivers, your generous support also enables us to work creatively with communities in this way. You are co-creating environments in numerous families and communities that respect women and support them to be who they want to be. Thank you for supporting women on their drive towards dignity.

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Now, also in Ahmedabad underprivileged women are becoming professional chauffeurs, earning with dignity. They are able to increase their family income up to four times, which enables them to pursue further studies, pay for education of their children and siblings, buy a house, see a doctor when needed…so many things. But more than that, those 'Women on Wheels' are fighting for their future, deciding themselves whom to marry, or not and to walk out of relationships that hurt them.

And this is all happening thanks to you. Thank you for being part of this movement.

We could not be more excited to tell you about all the great things happening in Ahmedabad. So read on and enjoy :)

Gulnaz leading the way

Gulnaz, lived for years in rejection from her family, due to marrying the person she loved. Her and her husband struggling to provide for their three sons, Gulnaz decided to join our residential Women on Wheels Academy in Jaipur to train to become a professional driver in Ahmedabad.

After successfully completing the residential course, with the help from our partner Jan Vikas, Gulnaz got a job as private chauffeur. She earns Rs. 9,500 per months, doubling what her husband is earning as auto-rickshaw driver.

‘My dream was to drive in Ahmedabad to contribute to our family income. I could not stop crying when I got my license. It was the happiest day of my life. With my boys maturing, I know they are proud to see their mum driving on the road. There aren’t many mums doing that!’

Gulaz has inspired many other women in Ahmedabad to join the programme – now provided directly in Ahmedabad in collaboration with Jan Vikas.

Women on Wheels in Ahmedabad…introducing DriverBen by Jan Vikas

Jan Vikas is a renowned NGO based in Ahmedabad, established in 1987. At first, Jan Vikas partnered up with us to send Gulnaz from Ahmedabad to our residential Academy in Jaipur. When the Jan Vikas team saw her transformation after only six months, they decided to bring Women on Wheels programme to their city. They knew the programme would enable a better life for many women they have been working with. And also it would help them address the urgent need to provide safe transport options for women in Ahmedabad.

So in April 2016, Jan Vikas in partnership with Azad Foundation launched DriverBen! In the last six months, 15 resource-poor women living in slums have already started the training, with many from minority communities, thanks to Gulnaz leading the way. Three drivers are already earning as private chauffeurs, with the initiative gaining loads of interest from local media and community.

And what has been our role in this? We have been intensively working with Jan Vikas team to build their understanding of the programme and approaches to building a squad of empowered Women on Wheels. We have been providing training, advice, support and raising the much needed funds to train women in Ahmedabad.

When passionate people come together, magical things can happen.

Thank you for joining us and enabling for this new venture to be born. Hundreds of women in Ahmedabad will now be able to drive into better future.