Help Women in India Become Professional Drivers

I sat in the backseat of a car filled with laughter and support. 

The four girls have a dream of becoming of the first bus drivers in India. They told me with such great pride that one woman who graduated from their training is now an auto-rickshaw driver. They mentioned as they laughted that she is quite strong as most of her customers are men and as the rickshaw does not have official doors, it can get very dirty and there is no protection from the smog of the other cars. These girls aspire to be a professional driver, a very dignified profession. 

I next joined two other trainees who had just begun their training with the Maruti Driving School as they carefully navigated the honking and haphazard traffic of Jaipur, India, the Pink City. There was laughing and a few tense moments as we swerved around pedestrians and goats. 

These women that are training to drive with the Azad Foundation's Women on Wheels program are transforming their lives and serve as a symbol for their families and communitiies that women from resource poor backgrounds can engage in professions beyond cooking and cleaning.

Poonam, a graduate of the program, lives in a single room with six others in one of the bastis/slum areas of Jaipur. Since becoming a professional driver, Poonam and others have been able to pay off the debts of their families' homes and add additional rooms in their homes and ensure direct access to tap water. 

If you asked me to join these women again, I would jump at the opportunity any day. 

Links:

• Azad Foundation