About Azad
Investing in women’s empowerment and creating long-lasting transformation
Azad’s strategic plan outlines our vision, mission, and goals for empowering women and creating a more equitable society. Azad’s vision is a world where women have equal access to education, healthcare, finances, and leadership roles, and are empowered to break down barriers and achieve their full potential. It envisions a society where women’s voices are heard, their rights are respected, and they have the opportunity to thrive in all spheres of life.
Azad particularly focuses on women and girls’ education and skill development, economic and social empowerment, leadership, community engagement, and research and innovation. It works towards expanding access to quality education for women and girls, especially from marginalised communities, and providing transformative skill education to enhance their employability and economic independence.
Azad promotes lifelong learning for women. It also creates sustainable livelihood opportunities through non-traditional livelihoods and facilitates access to and control over financial resources. Azad promotes economic inclusion and financial literacy for women. Its ‘Women With Wheels’ programme equips women with the skills and confidence to break free from traditional gender roles and pursue non-traditional careers such as taxi drivers, public bus drivers and e-commerce delivery partners, leading to greater economic empowerment and self-sufficiency.
Through mentorship, training, networking, and policy-engagement for increased representation of women in leadership roles, Azad promotes a gender-just ecosystem at all levels, from state institutions to workplaces. Its efforts to raise awareness about gender equality and women’s rights involves engaging men and boys in promoting gender-equitable norms and behaviours. Azad’s work on community engagement focuses on building strong partnerships with local communities, government agencies, and civil society organisations.
Azad’s research initiatives include developing innovative solutions and interventions to address gender inequality, and sharing knowledge and expertise on women’s empowerment. It aims to influence policy changes to create a more enabling environment for women’s empowerment in the transport industry.
Through these innovative initiatives and partnerships, Azad envisions a brighter future, where women and girls are at the heart of positive change and transformation in their lives and their communities.
We envision a world where all women – in particular women from underprivileged contexts – enjoy full citizenship, exercise control over their lives and bodies, earn a livelihood with dignity, and generate wealth and value for all.
Our mission is to enable women disadvantaged by gender, caste, class, ethnicity, religion, race, colour and sexuality, to empower themselves with knowledge and skills to build a gender-just society and earn a livelihood with dignity in jobs and markets that have traditionally been closed to them.
Everything we do is driven by and based on our values and reflects the rights granted by our Constitution
- We are inclusive across social, cultural, linguistic, sexual choices and other differences
- We are secular in our beliefs and actions
- We respect every person and ensure we treat all persons with dignity
- We take responsibility for our learning and our actions
- We are professional about our commitments
- We are transparent and accountable in all our processes
These values guide our mission and programmes, shaping our work towards a more just and equitable society for all.
Azad was established as a charitable trust in 2008 with the vision of promoting gender equity and equality. Our mission is to ensure that women from underprivileged communities have access to and control over resources, their bodies, and choices, enabling them to enjoy full citizenship and pursue livelihoods traditionally inaccessible to them.
Azad is dedicated to breaking down gender-based labour segregation and dismantling patriarchal stereotypes in women’s skill development and professional opportunities. To create a fair society, Azad works relentlessly to build a gender-just ecosystem within urban poor communities in India. It recognizes the diverse identities of women and addresses issues of class, caste, religion, gender, and sexual identities in all its initiatives.
From its initial centre in South Delhi in 2008, Azad has expanded to include two more centres in Delhi, two in Kolkata, and one each in Jaipur and Chennai. It also collaborates with partners in Indore and Ahmedabad.
Azad’s journey began with the Women with Wheels (WWW) programme, training women in driving through a transformative capacity-building initiative. However, Azad soon realized that for women to enter non-traditional livelihoods like driving, they need supportive communities and families, gender-inclusive infrastructure, and policies. Consequently, Azad started empowering young women and men in communities as feminist leaders. These leaders work towards creating a gender-just ecosystem by helping women access citizenship entitlements, combat gender-based violence, join non-traditional skill training and jobs, and engage men in sharing unpaid care work and challenging toxic masculinity in their localities.
Azad also supports adolescent girls, encouraging them to pursue non-traditional skill education and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education after school, negotiate their age of marriage, and take control of their bodies and choices.
Azad’s policy engagement includes promoting non-traditional livelihoods for women in local and global forums. Collaboration and partnership are central to all of Azad’s initiatives, leading to the creation of the Non-Traditional Livelihood Network for Women.
Additionally, Azad established the Kamla Bhasin Awards for Driving Gender Equality Across South Asia, in collaboration with two other organizations, to honour Kamla Bhasin’s legacy and recognize those advancing gender equality and positive masculinity in South Asia.
Azad not only focuses outwardly but also engages deeply inwardly to cultivate collective leadership and a compassionate, love-based culture within the organization. Its strategic and operational leadership is collective, fostering a collaborative work culture at every level. As a learning organization, Azad invests in staff capacity building, encouraging team members to learn from every challenge and grow together.
2008
Inception
Azad Foundation was established as an incorporated charitable trust in New Delhi. Azad’s strategic employment partner Sakha for women was also established.
2012
Featured on Satyamev Jayate
Azad gained visibility as a featured partner on the renowned TV show Satyamev Jayate, hosted by Bollywood star Aamir Khan.
2013
Operations initiated in Jaipur
Azad Foundation expanded its operations to Jaipur, Rajasthan.
2015
Operations initiated in Kolkata
Azad Foundation commenced operations in Kolkata, West Bengal.
2016
Initiation of the NTL Network
Azad set up the Non-Traditional Livelihoods (NTL) Network with organisations working on NTL across India.
2019
International NTL Conference
Azad hosted an International Conference on making non-traditional livelihoods work for the marginalised, with representation from 20 countries.
ECOSOC Accreditation
Azad became accredited by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.
2020
Operations initiated in Chennai
Azad began operations in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Pandemic Response and Support
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Azad supported 10,500+ households through relief distribution and linkage to food security through government and civil society initiatives.
2021
Kamla Bhasin Awards
Azad launched the Kamla Bhasin Awards for Driving Gender Equality Across South Asia in partnership with 2 organisations.
2022
Successful Policy Intervention for Inclusive Public Transport
Azad achieved a significant milestone in 2022 when the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) relaxed criteria for the recruitment of female bus drivers.
Our work at Azad Foundation is made possible through the generous support of our institutional, corporate, and individual donors. Their commitment and belief in our mission enables us to sustain our efforts, enhance our programs, and achieve our goal of empowering communities. We deeply appreciate their partnership and dedication.
Institutional Donors
Our institutional donors have been fundamental in sustaining our initiatives. Their strategic support and funding allow us to implement and expand our programs effectively, creating lasting impact in the communities we serve.
Our work is currently supported by:
We remain grateful for the donors who have supported us in the years gone by:
Corporate Donors
The substantial contributions from our corporate donors play a crucial role in advancing our mission. Their support not only provides essential resources but also fosters a collaborative effort to drive positive change and innovation in our programs.
Our work is currently supported by:
Individual Donors
From the beginning, Azad has been very fortunate in having benefited from the generosity of our friends and family, which also led to institutional tie-ups that have been supporting our work. Individual support continues and remains an important way of generating a wider collective ownership of the initiative. Thank you to everyone who has supported us along the way.
Donate to Azad Foundation
By contributing to Azad Foundation, you invest in a future where women are empowered to reach their full potential, and enable them to live with dignity and respect.
₹ 3,000
enables three women to improve their English language skills
₹ 60,000
enables a woman to complete her training course and break the cycle of poverty
Learn more about programmes you can impact
Tax Exemption under 80G
All donations to Azad Foundation are exempted under Section 80G of Income Tax Act.
Privacy & Anonymity
All financial transactions related to contributions are handled with strict privacy and anonymity.
Many ways to empower change
Join us as a volunteer at Azad Foundation and make a meaningful impact on the lives of underprivileged women in New Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata, and Chennai. Your contribution will not only enrich the lives of others but also provide you with invaluable personal and professional growth opportunities.
VolunteerAre you passionate about social justice and committed to empowering women? At Azad Foundation, you will not only have a job but a purpose. You will be part of a transformative movement that empowers women to break free from poverty, achieve self-sufficiency, and for women and men to become agents of change in their communities. Join us and embark on a career that makes a lasting impact on society.
Career