With an objective of empowering young women from vulnerable communities to break socio-economic barriers and gender stereotypes, ActionAid Association, with support from DXC Technology, trained 30 women from Jaipur, Rajasthan, in driving cars, in partnership with Maruti Driving School, Jaipur. The course not only included driving classes but also training in self-defence, life-skills and leadership. These women, all holding a driving license now, are being guided to get onto the roads as professional drivers, thereby economically empowering them and strengthening their livelihood prospects.

A certification programme to felicitate the trainees was recently organized in Jaipur. The programme provided a platform to these women to share their experiences, their challenges, their learnings and their dreams with each other. Representatives from several placement agencies, including Sakha and Uber, as well as from the relevant government departments were present at this meeting too. We are happy to share that nine women have already been hired as professional cab-drivers. At the certification programme, Uber also shared its prospectus with trainees and updated them about the job opportunities in their company. You would be pleased to learn that 30 more women from Jaipur have been identified for the next round of cab-driving training.

Our Karnataka Regional Office is also running a similar initiative in Bengaluru with support from DXC Technology. So far, 45 women have been successfully trained in cab-driving there as well and four of them have also been hired by a taxi company. We are proud of these brave women as they stand up for themselves and for the women in their communities, challenging stereotypes and breaking barriers.