Help Women in India Become Professional Drivers

Last November, we brought you an update on our newly opened Women on Wheels in Kolkata. Since then, the programme has been going from strength to strength. So, we’re delighted to be able to share with you about the achievements we have had in our outreach and mobilisation work last financial year. Thank you for enabling all of this to happen :)

In the November report we also shared with you a story of Ankita. This report brings you an update on her journey to empowerment…

Creating gender equal communities

In Kolkata, we work in a strategic partnership with Thoughtshop Foundation to enable women and girls live with dignity, break stereotypes and have right to take decisions, have mobility and economic independence. Thoughtshop Foundation (TF), a not-for profit Social communication organisation, has been working creatively with communities across Kolkata since 1993. Since opening of our Women on Wheels programme in this city, TF has been helping us to enrol resource-poor women for the programme in truly innovative ways.

They reached directly 1,044 resource-poor women, registered 182 and enrolled 37 for the programme.

How did they do it?

TF engaged with 10 Youth Resource Cells (YRCs), created by TF, that are situated in urban slums, peri urban areas and remote rural locations. Some of these groups are from predominantly Muslim communities. TF also developed a Communication Strategy and Special Communication Tools to aid mobilisation, build credibility and standardise messages.

Training of Gender Volunteers

Gender Volunteers were identified in each YRC, and trained on issues such as Gender Understanding, WOW Programme Clarity, Community Mapping, Communication Skills, Facilitation Skills, Managing Tricky Situations during Mobilisation, Documentation and Follow Up. These dedicated volunteers enabled YRCs to reach and expand into new geographical areas.

Development of tools

Based on communication needs that emerged from reviews and first-hand experience, TF developed communication tools for use during home visits, weekly workshops and community events. All materials were designed in WoW brand and produced in multiple languages. TF team involved trainees from the first batch in shaping the materials.

Activities

GVs made about 1000 home visits to get interested women to weekly workshops where Women on Wheels (WOW) programme could be discussed and women's doubts/questions addressed.

About 100 workshops have been held to register interested women. During the workshop interactive pictorial tools are used to get them convinced to register. These tools include the pictorial Gender Tool Kit and Jigsaws of women who have broken gender stereotypes.

8 community events took place to bring visibility for WOW initiative and to create supportive environment for women who chose non-stereotypical professions. The events were a great fun too, with:

• Signal Game: Interactive Board Game in which Teams compete to overcome gender barriers (lifecycle) by negotiating with "Society" 
• Driving Simulation: A computer based driving simulation with a realistic steering wheel, for women only.
• Road Trip: a short round in a WOW branded car, driven by a WOW driver, as a reward for winning a game
• Photo Booth: visitors could take a photo with the WOW driver after the ride to remember the experience.

Each event was attended by approximately 100-150; and helped us register around 25 – 50 women to join WOW.

YRC members and GV continuously supported WOW trainees in the community. They often accompanied registered/enrolled trainees to Azad/TF office; provided emotional support during crisis trainees faced at home often due to domestic violence; helped them build confidence through participation in workshops and events held by YRCs; and also provided financial support when needed.

TF members and Resource Persons Mira Kakkar and Sumit Roy also held a work readiness module for trainees, which included mock interviews, role plays and navigation using Google maps.

Achievements beyond programme enrolment

Some of the women may have not enrolled for the programme however the YRCs continue to support them in various different ways….

• YRC has helped trainees and possible trainees to access identification documents, such as birth certificate and an ID, which are important for strengthening their identity
• YRC members have supported women who don’t have the required education qualification through study support
• Some YRCs have helped trainees to negotiate with family for financial support for enrolment; and in some case lent small amounts to help trainees pay the commitment fee
• YRC members provided support to interested and enrolled women to help them face family challenges at times when their families were discouraging them from taking part in the programme or when facing domestic violence
  

How our mobilization team worked with Ankita…

After a life full of disappointment and violence (see November 2015 report), Ankita found Women on Wheels very interesting and was excited to join it. However, she did not fulfil the basic educational criteria of being class 8 pass, which was heartbreaking for her at first.

Ankita was almost illiterate, which had a huge bearing on her confidence levels. She felt that unless she could read and write, she would not be in a position to achieve anything. However, the team of mobilisers assured her that if she have had confidence then educational qualification would not be a barrier in her training. Our team made arrangements for a tutor to come and teach her Bengali and these sessions have gradually made Ankita more confident about her abilities.

Her family created a lot of pressure to stop from taking part in the training. Her father, who is an alcoholic, wanted to send her back to Delhi to work as a maid, where she could earn and fund his addiction. He physically tortured and beaten her up frequently, even after our repeated efforts of counselling him. Every time her father would say things such as “She has no basic education as such & does not ever know the roads properly. How will she be able to drive? Driving is not a good profession for her.” One day a mobiliser had to rush to Ankita’s place as her father picked up a weapon to hit her. She managed to stop him and filed a police complaint against him too. Despite all this happening, we continued to support Ankita to complete the training, speaking to her at least twice a week. The mobiliser helped Anikta to get a loan from Azad Foundation as her financial condition was pretty poor. She accompanied Ankita for the first few days to the Azad Foundation’s Training office as she had never travelled alone before. She taught Ankita basics of English at her home and sometimes helped her solve small misunderstandings that used to crop up between her & co-trainees.

During English language exam, the mobiliser helped Ankita by narrating the questions but she answered them on her own & scored the highest. The community team regularly shared news about Ankita’s achievements with her father. Her father has become calmer & the frequent fights at her home have reduced.

Ankita has become one of the women chauffeur pioneers of Kolkata - awaiting to be sent for her first job with Maruti Driving School .

She says, “As I could not finish my education, I wanted to learn driving and get a driving job to prove myself. Learning to drive has given me courage and confidence."

We want to thank Thoughtshop Foundation for doing such an amazing work in helping us to identify and support women who greatly benefit from Women on Wheels programme. And we want to thank you for enabling us to give women like Ankita the strength to fight for themselves.

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