By Astha Pando | Project Leader
Your constant support has been our biggest strength in reaching out to resource poor women and providing them with livelihoods with dignity. Under the Women on Wheels program, we have been expanding our reach and partnering with new organisations to enable women to access non-Traditional livelihood options, particularly driving.
Back in October 2016, we joined hands with Samaan Social Development Society to bring Women on Wheels program to women in Indore. Samaan is a word used for ’Equality’ in Hindi. Samaan actively makes the legal justice accessible to the women suffering from violence through their program called Kanooni Sakhi. After partnership with Azad Foundation they have been able to expand their work in slums from 5 to 100 slum communities and started providing women with non-traditional livelihood opportunities like driving where they can work and become socially and economically empowered.
Azad Foundation provided various capacity building sessions to Samaan to implement the Women on Wheels program. Azad has constantly been supporting Samaan and sharing their own field experience to help them achieve their goals in bringing about greater gender equality.
To date, Samaan has enrolled 85 resource poor women. 68 women have received their Permanent License and 10 are already employed. These women gained work with reputed organisations like Municipal Corporation of Indore (a govt. body) and Marriot Hotel.
All these women have been through a thorough training comprising technical modules like learner’s license module, driving on road, map reading and first aid. Non-technical modules consisted of Communication, Map reading, First Aid, English, and Gender, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Legal Rights.
Samaan has recently taken a step forward and started a program called Mahila (Women) Mechanic. The trainees will go through a 3-month training of repairing mechanical aspects of two-wheelers. So far, 30 women have been enrolled for this program since its inception in May 2018.
One of the courageous women who undergone Women on Wheels training is Sonali. Here is her story…
Rising from the ashes like a phoenix
Sonali is now known as Driver Madame. After driving training in the Women's Wheels program this year, she runs the Indoor Girls 'Hostels' car. Sonali’s life has changed in so many ways. She shares about her struggles in life starting from childhood to moving away from her in-law’s house because of the violence that she faced.
'My father used to fight with my mother and left us when I was young. My mother got married to another man and we stayed with our grandmother. My father married other woman who didn’t have a child and so he came and took us with him. My stepmother treated us badly. I wasn’t allowed to go to school.
I was married off at the age of 15. My husband had studied only till 8th and didn’t work. He would fight and beat me every day. I came back home but my father took me back to my in-laws where my husband beat me up brutally once again. I went back to my family, which eventually agreed to let me stay with them. I filed a divorce case against my husband, which is still in process.
I had lost hope. But then one day I got to know about the driving training from a friend. I saw some hope for better life and I joined the training. Legal training gave me lot of strength. I understood that it is only me who can control my life. I met women who were facing troubles in life and together we shared our problems. I felt like I am not alone.
I had never ridden a bicycle before, therefore I was afraid as to how I would drive a car but I didn’t give up. With support from Samaan, I finally succeeded.
Today I am driver and earning for myself. This is like receiving a new life altogether.
My whole life has changed. I drive a girls' hostel car, picking up and dropping off girls. They feel very safe with me. These girls say that I have done something different. Their words make my identity and I feel proud. Today I know every route of Indore city. I have become fearless and even more confident.'
Thank you for giving wings to the dreams of these women! We appreciate your constant support and encouragement.
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