- Annual Reports
Annual Report 2014-15
In 2014-15, Azad grew in multiple ways- expanding its reach, launching new initiatives, and deepening collaborations. This report highlights our progress and ongoing commitment to honing our craft better—doing more, and better than what we have been doing.
Dear Friends,
It gives me great pleasure to bring our annual report for 2014-15 to you.
The year that was has seen Azad grow in multiple ways. We expanded our presence to Indore, Madhya Pradesh, and as I write this, the first batch of women is undergoing training in Kolkata as well. We initiated a pilot residential Women on Wheels Academy in Jaipur—in collaboration with partners from Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. In Delhi, we piloted the Azad Kishori 9 se (to) 12 programme. We have also built on the learnings of our previous experience of engaging with men and initiated a long-term programme with groups of men in the communities we work with. Through our ‘Learning Journeys’ initiative, teams of staff, women drivers, and trainees reached out to more than 20 organisations across Kerala, Chennai, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh to connect with and learn about other institutions also working with women in non-traditional livelihood domains.
We continue to collaborate and actively participate in collective processes such as the One Billion Rising campaign in Delhi & Jaipur and the 2nd Global Men Engage Symposium held in Delhi. An action research project was undertaken to better understand the aspirations of young women living in the slums and ‘bastis’ of Delhi. Our Research & Documentation team, established in 2014, published creative communication materials to be used by communities. We have also hosted several groups of students and professionals from different countries as part of their learning journeys and shared with them our experience.
The work of Azad has continued to receive recognition from other stakeholders. We were honoured by the appreciation and award we received from the Embassy of the United States and Shivaji College, New Delhi. One of our women drivers, Omkari, was felicitated by SRL Diagnostics on the occasion of Women’s Day.
All this action and concomitant reflection have enabled us to harvest learning as we move along. It has also fed into the strategic plan, which at the end of 2014-15 saw us embarking on. Many of you have been part of the planning process and have actively contributed through MANTHAN, organized in March 2015. The process has been intense and informative, with the participation of and consultations with our large group of stakeholders. As I write this, our strategic plan is in the process of being finalized. We are looking forward to honing our craft better—doing more, and better of what we have been doing.
It is an exciting juncture for us. The external context has changed rapidly over the last few years. Today, there are new markets that have opened up for women chauffeurs. Several State Governments have publicly expressed the need to have more women in the public transport sector. Women as ‘professional chauffeurs’ is a concept that has been established firmly—not just in the industry but more importantly, in the minds of the women themselves. Azad and all the women trainees, drivers, and their families have contributed significantly to this change, by boldly experimenting, persevering, and staying on course. There is still a long way to go to ensure that women occupy a strategic space in the public transport sector and, while engaging with it, also enrich it with their own experience, wisdom, and perspective.
The journey has not been simple. Perhaps no journey worth taking is ever simple! We—the Azad team, the women drivers, women trainees, and all those who have been part of this—have had our share of ups and downs. We have made mistakes, taken the wrong turns, jumped the red light, and sometimes found ourselves at a dead-end! But through it all, we have kept our faith, held ourselves mutually accountable, and tried to distill learning that could help build our next steps. The enclosed pages—some from the diary of a woman driver and others containing institutional narrative—provide a glimpse of this eventful journey.
We are grateful for having had, at all times, friends of Azad who have supported us, critiqued us, ideated with us, and given us strength. We have learned from our peer organisations and thank our partners for graciously sharing their wisdom and knowledge with us. We could not have traveled this far without the confidence and faith reposed in us by all our donors—Human Dignity Foundation, Oak Foundation, American Jewish World Service, EMpower, and many other individuals who have contributed. The entire team of Azad has also learned to break some boundaries within, while helping the women break boundaries around them. The Board has always stood by the organisation, guiding, advising, questioning, and always supporting.
The power of “collective energy” is immense, and we hope that this energy will be further galvanized to see many more resource-poor women being able to exercise their choice to livelihoods with dignity.
Meenu Vadera
