Hi, I am Neha, your driver for today. I live with my 4 siblings and mother in Delhi. My father used to own a cab and made a living by renting it to a driver. My family went through very difficult times after my father passed away due to jaundice when I was 5. We survived on odd jobs for many years. The longing to take charge of my life and do something that could better my family’s situation kept growing inside me over the years. An opportunity came knocking at my door with Azad and Sakha’s empowering program Women with Wheels. Initially, my brother was against the idea of me training to become a driver as he was worried that I might face challenges on the road. But with my sister’s support, I persevered. I joined Sakha as a driver in January this year, which is the first job of my life. I have undergone a transformative journey, acquiring knowledge, learning to use GPS navigation, figuring out city routes and gaining better skills for professional communication. It fills me with pride when people in my neighbourhood recognise and appreciate me as a Sakha driver. My mother is proud to see me confidently stand on my own feet, shouldering responsibilities and making decisions for our household. I am happy that I no longer have to depend on others and am neither scared of the outside world as I used to be earlier. At Sakha, I learn something new every day. When I took on night duty for 6 months, I was initially hesitant because there were a lot of low-lit areas and heavy vehicles on the road. However, at Sakha, we approach our work with a mindset to overcome any challenges that come our way and I came out better prepared to confidently navigate roads at any time of the day or night from this experience.