Help Women in India Become Professional Drivers

Azad is delighted to present its transformative efforts in empowering women from marginalized communities during the past financial year, spanning from April 2023 to March 2024.

The latest data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (2022-23) reveals a Female Labor Force Participation Rate of 37%, marking a 4.2% increase from 2021-22. Despite this progress, a significant gender gap persists, with the Male Labor Force Participation Rate at 78.5% in 2022-23. This indicates towards the patriarchal norms and structural inequalities hindering women’s entry into the workforce, including restricted mobility and decision-making, gender based violence, the burden of unpaid care work and the lack of gender-sensitive infrastructure and social security.

Azad adopts the Gender-Just Skill Education Framework for transforming the lives of women from resource-poor communities through nontraditional skill education and subsequent livelihoods in the profession of driving. Through this framework, Azad focuses on the entire ecosystem of change by ensuring transformative Skill++ training along with the creation of gender-just and inclusive communities, public infrastructure and markets.

Skills++ Training towards Transformation

Azad’s Women with Wheels transformative training program equips women with the skills to empower themselves, make informed choices for a more equitable and violence-free life, along with gaining skills and dignified employment. Built on the principle of Skill++, the training covers technical, life-skills and rights based education on gender, legal rights, bodily autonomy, self-defence, and professional communication.

This year, among the 713 women who joined Azad’s Women with Wheels program, 62% trainees belonged to marginalized castes, while 84% of them fall below the poverty line as per the World Bank indicators. In their journey with Azad, 66% of these women reported that they increased their mobility, 34% gained the confidence to engage with government and other offices to claim their rights, and 30% found the courage to raise their voice against violence.

511 women completed the Skill++ training, gaining not only employable skills but also the confidence to exercise decision-making, negotiate for shared care work within their families, and claim their rights. Of these, 311 women have entered the transport industry as professional chauffeurs and riders. Through their collective earnings of $148 thousand, they are reshaping their lives and those of their families by accumulating assets and investing in their children's education.

I reside in Kasba, Kolkata. After my husband's tragic passing, I found myself as the sole provider for my family of four. Despite my limited education, I worked tirelessly in various odd jobs to make ends meet. Then, I discovered Azad Foundation and embraced the chance for a dignified livelihood despite facing criticism from my community. Through Azad's training, I have gained confidence and skills and made my own identity. Today, working as a 4 Wheeler Uber Driver and earning around 15,000 rupees per month, I am financially independent and fearless. I dream of owning a car and securing a better future for myself and my family.

-Rina Das (name changed), Uber Driver, Kolkata

Building Supportive Communities Through Young Leaders

Our mission to cultivate supportive communities is realized through the empowerment of young men and women who serve as pillars of support for women to enter livelihoods with dignity.

The feminist leaders from our Parvaz Feminist Leadership Program have made significant strides by assisting 4,200+ women and men in accessing citizenship entitlements through documentation and linkage to social security schemes. They also supported 70 women in combatting gender based violence through assistance in filing complaints, providing legal information and connecting them with violence redressal mechanisms. Along with this, the leaders also facilitated gender-inclusive infrastructure in their communities by lobbying with the local government for maintenance of street lights, public washrooms, public places like parks and ensuring clean water supply.

We recognize that social norms are ingrained at an impressionable age and hence we work with adolescent girls to build their agency to negotiate higher education, skill training, menstrual hygiene and early marriage and with young men and with boys to explore alternative notions of masculinity and nurturing them to raise their voices against gender based violence and participate in unpaid care work.

In the year, 324 leaders including women, adolescent girls, young men and boys from the communities we work in, have been equipped to challenge patriarchal gender norms. Together, they have led impactful campaigns like Samanta Bandhan and One Billion Rising to challenge patriarchal control over women and combating gender based violence, reaching out to over 3,600 people on-ground and over 9,000 people online.

Towards Favorable Policies and Market

Azad’s efforts to create a favorable ecosystem for women entering the transport industry have yielded significant results over the past year. Through strategic engagement with policymakers, market stakeholders, and civil society organizations, Azad has facilitated the placement of women drivers across diverse roles and locations, ranging from bus drivers in Delhi, India, to trailer truck drivers in Hungary. Azad also actively collaborated with policy-makers, CSOs and market players for the passing of Rajasthan Platform Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Act, 2023, in July. The act extends essential social security benefits to gig workers, addressing their distinct needs and paving the way for a more conducive environment for women riders entering the e-commerce sector.

Your support is instrumental in providing life-changing opportunities for women from marginalized backgrounds. Together, let's strive to create a world where every woman has the chance to thrive, lead dignified lives, and have her voice heard.