Help Women in India Become Professional Drivers

2024-25 is a year that reflected the strength of transformation, resilience and collective spirit. At Azad Foundation, we continued to stand with women from marginalized communities, supporting them in claiming their space, asserting their rights, and building lives of dignity and independence. Whether behind the wheel or at the forefront of community leadership, women trained through Azad’s programmes are driving powerful change by shifting mindsets, moving beyond borders, and pushing boundaries that challenge both patriarchal attitudes and physical spaces.

Through holistic, Skill++ training and strategic partnerships with Sakha, Janvikas, Rapido, and Baton Transport, these women are not just accessing employment, but are reshaping entire ecosystems. From securing driving licenses to leading feminist action in their communities and taking up international job opportunities, they are rewriting the narrative of what’s possible.

Training to Transform

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 772 women who joined Azad’s Women with Wheels program, 64% trainees belonged to marginalized castes, while 81% of them fall below the poverty line as per the World Bank indicator. In their journey with Azad, 72% of these women reported that they increased their mobility, 52% began making decisions independently, gaining control over their lives, and 38% claimed their identity with dignity.

532 women became employable by achieving their Driving Licenses and 278 women have entered the transport industry as professional chauffeurs and riders. Through their collective earnings of $468,000, they are transforming their lives and those of their families by building assets and investing in their children's education.

Pathways for Sustenance in the Market

Azad and its strategic employment partner Sakha entered into a partnership with Rapido, an Indian ride-hailing service, dedicated to equipping underprivileged women with professional driving skills, offering them job opportunities, and promoting economic empowerment within the transportation sector. This partnership aims to ensure that women can achieve a stable monthly income of up to Rs 25,000, and also assists trained female drivers by facilitating vehicle acquisition, handling registrations, providing mentorship and safety training, and conducting awareness workshops.

Through this groundbreaking partnership, Rapido has onboarded 30 women riders trained by Azad and Sakha as two-wheeler captains on their platform. The partnership was officially launched at ‘EmpowHer’, an event organized by Rapido, which also marked the signing of an MoU between Rapido, Azad, and Sakha to strengthen and expand this initiative.

The Chief of Staff of Rapido, shared during the event, “Through our collaboration with Azad Foundation and Sakha, we are dedicated to offering women meaningful employment opportunities and equipping them with the resources they need to succeed.”

Building Feminist Futures

28 feminist leaders from Batch 6 of Azad Foundation’s Feminist Leadership Program in Delhi, supported by ITC Vivel graduated in May- each with a powerful story of transformation. The program enables young women from marginalized communities to become leaders and change-makers in their own right, through training on gender equality, gender-based violence, leadership, and more.

These young women are leading change in their communities, promoting women’s rights and empowerment. With the collective strength of the women’s groups they have formed, they are working for essential infrastructure like bus stands and street lights and connecting women with documentation, social security schemes, and health rights.

Rehana (name changed), a graduate of the Program and a single woman, has gained the skills to navigate challenging situations from domestic violence in her personal life to becoming a community mobilizer. With the collective strength of her peer network formed during the program, she successfully managed establishing a bus stop in their area. She feels more confident today about holding those in authority accountable.

“Sometimes, I used to get really disappointed and disheartened but the peer groups we formed and women in those groups gave me hope and it kept me going,” says Rehana.

“One becomes a leader the day one learns to listen and not just talk,” says Ruchi (name changed), also a graduate of the program.

The convocation ceremony in Delhi, attended by well-known feminist journalist Bhasha Singh, featured a film screening and panel discussion celebrating the journey of these leaders and welcomed the next cohort of emerging leaders to the program.

Moving Borders, Pushing Boundaries

In 2023, Azad Foundation, along with its partners Sakha and Janvikas, joined hands with Baton Transport, a Europe-based logistics company, under the ‘Trucking for Equality’ initiative to create dignified employment opportunities for women. The partnership, an example of gender-inclusive employment practices, offers women drivers not only competent salaries, at par with male drivers, but also provides accommodation and social security, with monthly earnings ranging from 822 to 1,463 Euros based on their working hours. In addition, the company invests in training these women to help prepare them for working in another country, enabling them to sustain in these roles.

This year, the third batch of drivers has travelled to Europe, with several drivers from earlier batches ranking among Baton’s top drivers.

Mehak (name changed), one of the drivers who left for Europe in May, comes from a family where women were seen as a burden. After joining Sakha as a driver, she asserted her rights and began supporting other women in standing up against violence. Now, she has transitioned from a cab driver to an international trailer driver and her family stands proudly beside her.

“I feel emotional to leave after working here for seven years. But everyone must move ahead- because the sky is our limit. I am excited to transition to the next phase of my life,” she shares.

Leela (name changed), also from Batch 3, adds, “I have worked with Sakha for 12 years and am proud to be part of Azad and Sakha’s journey. 12 years back, we started with driving during the day, then gradually took on night shifts and went from driving within the city to going for outstation trips. Today, we are going to another continent to work. This is a huge success for us.”

As we look ahead, we remain committed to building a world where every woman, regardless of caste, class, religion, ethnicity, sexuality or ability, can live free from violence, lead their life with dignity, and shape their own future. Your support plays a vital role in making this vision a reality and creating life-changing opportunities for women from marginalized communities.