In the beginning when our idea about a fleet of women cab drivers seemed little more than a delusion, inspiring individuals told us to press on and supportive organisations said they’d help make our dream a reality.
Over the past decade we’ve received support and funding from The Cartier Philanthropy, One Footstep, HT Parekh Foundation, British Asian Trust, Mahindra Finance CSR, the British High Commission, Human Dignity Foundation, Oak Foundation, Sahchari Foundation, Satyamev Jayate, Reliance Foundation, Unltd. India, BidNetwork and Booking.com.
Every passenger is a partner
Every time a passenger takes their seat in Sakha Cab and asks one of our women drivers to take them to their destination, they become part of the journey towards women’s empowerment and gender equality. We like to think that every one of our passengers is our partner because they are the ones who are also making change happen.
The Azad Foundation
Sakha Consulting Wings collaborates with The Azad Foundation. We celebrated ten years of friendship in 2018.
The Azad Foundation works in marginalised communities across India to recruit and train women that want to learn to be professional drivers through its Women on Wheels programme. After the women graduate from Azad’s programme, Sakha Consulting Wings steps in to offer the women a chance of paid employment.
“We work in places where discrimination and violence are endemic. In communities where women and girls are told what they can be and what they can’t do by men and boys. We bring everyone in the community together to change that dynamic,” explains Shrinivas Rao, COO,Azad foundation
“When we tell our trainees about Sakha Consulting Wings and the chance of paid employment as a professional driver if they graduate from our training programme, they’re truly amazed. The idea that an opportunity like this exists for women like them is beyond their imagination.”
As well as its Women on Wheels programmes the Azad Foundation also manages;
- Parvaz Women’s Leadership Programme which is creating a cadre of young women community leaders who provide information and support to enable women to claim their rights in all spheres of lives;
- A Men for Gender JusticeProgrammewhich increases the knowledge and capacity of young men to act against violence against women and enhance their understanding on gender, patriarchy and masculinities; and
- Events and campaigns against violence against women and promoting non- traditional livelihoods.
Samaan Society
Samaan Society, located in Indore was the first partner NGO, trained by Azad Foundation, to be associated with the Women on Wheels program. Samaan helps survivors of violence access legal justice through their KanooniSakhi program, in addition to providing livelihood opportunities to resource poor women through the WoW program. Samaan has helped many women enrol into WoW, get trained and acquire a permanent license. The society is committed towards connecting women with such livelihood opportunities which have so far been in the hands of men and make them socially and economically empowered. It is a strategic partner organisation for Sakha in Indore.