JOIN USSoon Jaipur will see many women chauffeurs. Azad Foundation in collaboration with Sakha Wings Pvt Ltd will launch Women on Wheels, a social enterprise that provides livelihood to poor women in Jaipur.
Set up first in Delhi, it is now being introduced in Jaipur.
Minu Wadhera, who launched the project, said aims to build a collective of empowered women chauffeurs, who become change agents in not just their own lives but also in their families and community.
She said woman who registers with Azad Foundation are taken through a rigorous preparation that includes high quality training in driving, in self-defence, communications, grooming, map reading, first aid, women’s rights, and English speaking etc.
This is done in collaboration with Maruti Institute of Driving and Training Research, crime against women cell for self-defence, Red Cross for first aid, Traffic Police for road safety, NGOs and expert faculty resources.
The preparation period generally ranges from eight to 10 months.
The women are assisted to acquire first a learners licence and then a permanent licence. Women drivers are also supported to open their bank accounts and are covered under insurance.
Sakha Women Chauffeur Placement Services then provides employment to these qualified women drivers through placements with individuals, NGOs, corporates and other institutions. The service will be particularly helpful for women professionals’ elderly women and working couples with young children.
She said in Delhi more than 40 women are already employed and earning a salary between Rs 6,500 and Rs 10,000 per month.