Women in The Driving Seat
Donation protected
“There are people in society who would rather have us indulge in illicit business or beg rather than earn income through legal means and hard work.” (Ms. Sharifi – age 24 years)
“It has been my passion to drive. This opportunity will allow me to be self-sufficient. Other women should not sit around but act to change their fortunes. If we show a little bit of bravery, we will change our fate. Driving a car has been a dream come true. I had never imagined that one day I would be behind the wheel and drive a car. I am so thrilled to have experienced it and had the opportunity availed to me.” (Ms. Hamida – age 25 years)
“My father does not work because he has a mental illness. Every month, we bring medicine for him from Wazir Akbar Khan hospital. I believe women should be courageous and do the jobs that they wish to do. Even though I am an illiterate, but I have the courage and motivation to succeed as a cab driver. I urge other women to come out and be part of such projects.” (Ms. Anis Gul – age 29 years)
Unemployment, financial dependency and harassment of women on local transportation have driven a team of women to take matters into their own hands and act. These women, who are extremely poor, have not had an independent and meaningful life and are often abused and beaten by men in their families, are the breadwinners of their households. Hence, they are looking to start a cab service. It will be first of its kind, a pilot project undertaken by 10 women in Kabul.
About the Organizer:
My name is Reshad Nazarzai currently pursuing my MBA at University of the People. I have completed my bachelor's in Public Administration and Political Science at University of Ottawa. I am an Afghan-born Canadian citizen. I live in Ottawa, Ontario. I am also founder and CEO of Organization/Centre for Social Initiatives and Innovation which is a registered non-profit, non-governmental organization in Kabul, Afghanistan. Some of the work that I have done in OSII include Capacity Building Workshops, Build you Employability, How to Score a Scholarship, Clean Environment Initiative and Ambitious Learning Initiative. Approximately, 400 students have benefited from the workshops and seminars.
Besides that, I was also the President of Afghan Student Association where we organized several successful projects with help of local and international NGOs including Human Concern International, Humanitarian Organization for Local Development, World University Service of Canada, University Women for Women in Afghanistan, Student Federation of University of Ottawa, Afghan Embassy and other local businesses in Ottawa. Through those projects, we donated 100 boxes of winter clothes to Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia and displaced people of Helmand in Kabul, 13 sewing machines to single mothers and widows in Herat, coal for winter for 70 families, and $1,000 worth of notebooks, backpacks, and other school utensils to street kids of Kabul
Currently, OSII has initiated a cab service project which I will be mostly mentoring but it is run and administered by a team of 10 women who work as volunteers in OSII. Some of these women who are my students have also attended the above mentioned seminars at Organization for Social Initiatives and Innovation. Of the 10 women, 5 are our future cab drivers and the other five are volunteers who will be running the operations of the cab service project.
About Project:
We are planning to raise $12,500 CAD to purchase 4 cabs, $3125 CAD for each cab, and employ 12 women. We will also teach them how to drive and get them driving licenses.
It is a self-sustaining project as it generates money from the fare collected. The project will provide these women with an income of roughly $$200 CAD per month which is enough to pay for their monthly basic needs.
The initiative seeks to train women drivers who will provide cab service to women in Kabul. The women who have come forward voluntarily are young and live in extreme poverty. They are prepared to work as hard as required of them to bring their families and themselves out of poverty.
Implementation Plan:
Initially, we will get the drivers admitted to driving school, so they learn to drive. Afterwards, we will get the drivers their driving licenses. Approximately, it takes one month to complete the process.
In the meantime, we will train the volunteers responsible for day-to-day business operation of the project to acquire the necessary skills needed to run this project smoothly through holding workshops in operation management, marketing, communication and administrative management.
Moreover, any funds raised for this project through GoFundMe.com will solely be invested on following items:
1. We will purchase 4 cabs. The cost of each cab is anywhere between $2500 -$3500.
2. We will purchase and install GPS trackers in each car. The cost of each GPS, installation and 1 year service fee is $172.00.
3. We will pay for the cost of driving lessons of each women who we will hire as our cab driver.
The funds will NOT be used under any circumstances to pay for administrative costs or salaries.
Once the required fund is collected, I will wire the funds to the project manager and the volunteers to invest it on the above mentioned three items on the list.
Objectives of the Project:
Through this project, these women are looking to fulfill following objectives:
1. Employ another 30 women drivers and purchase another 10 cabs by the end of 2019.
2. Teach 100 widowed women how to drive and get their driving licenses by the end of 2019.
3. Internship opportunity for 10 female students by the end of 2019.
Benefits of the Project:
1. The project will break the barriers of the society which prevent these underprivileged women from having a meaningful life. There are people in this society who would rather have them indulge in illicit business or have them beg rather than earn income through legal means and hard work.
2. These women are determined to tackle three serious problems facing women:
a. unemployment
b. financial dependency
c. harassment of women on local transport system.
3. The project will provide an alternative and harassment-free commute on local transport system for women and create employment opportunities for unskilled women who live in poverty.
4. Prepare women for jobs that are traditionally associated to men in Afghanistan.
Cab drivers' interviews
Khajer Sharifi is one of our cab drivers for our cab service project. She has 11 family members but there is no one in the family who currently holds a job. Her mother has diabetes and cannot work. Two of her brothers are currently in Iran looking for work. If we do succeed in raising $5000 then we will be able to purchase 2 cars for our taxi service project which means she will be one of our drivers. For Sharifi, it is a golden opportunity to support her family financially and be a role model for other women who are confined to the walls for their homes. Ms. Sharifi believes that driving a car is a far better alternative than asking others for money.
Maryam Sadat has 12 family members and she will be the first women to ever hold a job outside in her family. Currently, only her brother has a job in the family. If she does get a job as a cab driver, she will be able to support her family financially which she is very excited about.
Sakina Sharifi is one our cab drivers. If we succeed to secure the funds needed to launch this project, she will be the only breadwinner for her family. She believes that it is a win-win situation both for her and the women who will use the taxi service.
Anis Gul Gulistani has seven family members. Only one person in the family has a job. She says, “my father does not work because he has a mental illness. Every month, we bring medicine for him from Wazir Akbar Khan hospital.” Her views about the taxi service is that “women should be courageous and do the jobs that they wish to do. Even though I am illiterate, but I have the courage and motivation to succeed as a taxi driver. I urge other women to come out and be part of such projects.”
Hamida Sadat is one of our taxi drivers currently taking driving lessons. She has 12 family members including her father and two brothers. One of the brothers currently works and the other one is in prison. She says, “it has been my passion to drive. This opportunity will allow me to be self-sufficient. She believes, “other women should not sit around but act to change their fortunes. If we show a little bit of bravery, we will change our fate”. Ms. Hamida says, “driving a car has been a dream come true. I had never imagined that one day I would be behind the wheel and drive a car. I am so thrilled to have experienced it and had the opportunity availed to me”.
“It has been my passion to drive. This opportunity will allow me to be self-sufficient. Other women should not sit around but act to change their fortunes. If we show a little bit of bravery, we will change our fate. Driving a car has been a dream come true. I had never imagined that one day I would be behind the wheel and drive a car. I am so thrilled to have experienced it and had the opportunity availed to me.” (Ms. Hamida – age 25 years)
“My father does not work because he has a mental illness. Every month, we bring medicine for him from Wazir Akbar Khan hospital. I believe women should be courageous and do the jobs that they wish to do. Even though I am an illiterate, but I have the courage and motivation to succeed as a cab driver. I urge other women to come out and be part of such projects.” (Ms. Anis Gul – age 29 years)
Unemployment, financial dependency and harassment of women on local transportation have driven a team of women to take matters into their own hands and act. These women, who are extremely poor, have not had an independent and meaningful life and are often abused and beaten by men in their families, are the breadwinners of their households. Hence, they are looking to start a cab service. It will be first of its kind, a pilot project undertaken by 10 women in Kabul.
About the Organizer:
My name is Reshad Nazarzai currently pursuing my MBA at University of the People. I have completed my bachelor's in Public Administration and Political Science at University of Ottawa. I am an Afghan-born Canadian citizen. I live in Ottawa, Ontario. I am also founder and CEO of Organization/Centre for Social Initiatives and Innovation which is a registered non-profit, non-governmental organization in Kabul, Afghanistan. Some of the work that I have done in OSII include Capacity Building Workshops, Build you Employability, How to Score a Scholarship, Clean Environment Initiative and Ambitious Learning Initiative. Approximately, 400 students have benefited from the workshops and seminars.
Besides that, I was also the President of Afghan Student Association where we organized several successful projects with help of local and international NGOs including Human Concern International, Humanitarian Organization for Local Development, World University Service of Canada, University Women for Women in Afghanistan, Student Federation of University of Ottawa, Afghan Embassy and other local businesses in Ottawa. Through those projects, we donated 100 boxes of winter clothes to Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia and displaced people of Helmand in Kabul, 13 sewing machines to single mothers and widows in Herat, coal for winter for 70 families, and $1,000 worth of notebooks, backpacks, and other school utensils to street kids of Kabul
Currently, OSII has initiated a cab service project which I will be mostly mentoring but it is run and administered by a team of 10 women who work as volunteers in OSII. Some of these women who are my students have also attended the above mentioned seminars at Organization for Social Initiatives and Innovation. Of the 10 women, 5 are our future cab drivers and the other five are volunteers who will be running the operations of the cab service project.
About Project:
We are planning to raise $12,500 CAD to purchase 4 cabs, $3125 CAD for each cab, and employ 12 women. We will also teach them how to drive and get them driving licenses.
It is a self-sustaining project as it generates money from the fare collected. The project will provide these women with an income of roughly $$200 CAD per month which is enough to pay for their monthly basic needs.
The initiative seeks to train women drivers who will provide cab service to women in Kabul. The women who have come forward voluntarily are young and live in extreme poverty. They are prepared to work as hard as required of them to bring their families and themselves out of poverty.
Implementation Plan:
Initially, we will get the drivers admitted to driving school, so they learn to drive. Afterwards, we will get the drivers their driving licenses. Approximately, it takes one month to complete the process.
In the meantime, we will train the volunteers responsible for day-to-day business operation of the project to acquire the necessary skills needed to run this project smoothly through holding workshops in operation management, marketing, communication and administrative management.
Moreover, any funds raised for this project through GoFundMe.com will solely be invested on following items:
1. We will purchase 4 cabs. The cost of each cab is anywhere between $2500 -$3500.
2. We will purchase and install GPS trackers in each car. The cost of each GPS, installation and 1 year service fee is $172.00.
3. We will pay for the cost of driving lessons of each women who we will hire as our cab driver.
The funds will NOT be used under any circumstances to pay for administrative costs or salaries.
Once the required fund is collected, I will wire the funds to the project manager and the volunteers to invest it on the above mentioned three items on the list.
Objectives of the Project:
Through this project, these women are looking to fulfill following objectives:
1. Employ another 30 women drivers and purchase another 10 cabs by the end of 2019.
2. Teach 100 widowed women how to drive and get their driving licenses by the end of 2019.
3. Internship opportunity for 10 female students by the end of 2019.
Benefits of the Project:
1. The project will break the barriers of the society which prevent these underprivileged women from having a meaningful life. There are people in this society who would rather have them indulge in illicit business or have them beg rather than earn income through legal means and hard work.
2. These women are determined to tackle three serious problems facing women:
a. unemployment
b. financial dependency
c. harassment of women on local transport system.
3. The project will provide an alternative and harassment-free commute on local transport system for women and create employment opportunities for unskilled women who live in poverty.
4. Prepare women for jobs that are traditionally associated to men in Afghanistan.
Cab drivers' interviews
Khajer Sharifi is one of our cab drivers for our cab service project. She has 11 family members but there is no one in the family who currently holds a job. Her mother has diabetes and cannot work. Two of her brothers are currently in Iran looking for work. If we do succeed in raising $5000 then we will be able to purchase 2 cars for our taxi service project which means she will be one of our drivers. For Sharifi, it is a golden opportunity to support her family financially and be a role model for other women who are confined to the walls for their homes. Ms. Sharifi believes that driving a car is a far better alternative than asking others for money.
Maryam Sadat has 12 family members and she will be the first women to ever hold a job outside in her family. Currently, only her brother has a job in the family. If she does get a job as a cab driver, she will be able to support her family financially which she is very excited about.
Sakina Sharifi is one our cab drivers. If we succeed to secure the funds needed to launch this project, she will be the only breadwinner for her family. She believes that it is a win-win situation both for her and the women who will use the taxi service.
Anis Gul Gulistani has seven family members. Only one person in the family has a job. She says, “my father does not work because he has a mental illness. Every month, we bring medicine for him from Wazir Akbar Khan hospital.” Her views about the taxi service is that “women should be courageous and do the jobs that they wish to do. Even though I am illiterate, but I have the courage and motivation to succeed as a taxi driver. I urge other women to come out and be part of such projects.”
Hamida Sadat is one of our taxi drivers currently taking driving lessons. She has 12 family members including her father and two brothers. One of the brothers currently works and the other one is in prison. She says, “it has been my passion to drive. This opportunity will allow me to be self-sufficient. She believes, “other women should not sit around but act to change their fortunes. If we show a little bit of bravery, we will change our fate”. Ms. Hamida says, “driving a car has been a dream come true. I had never imagined that one day I would be behind the wheel and drive a car. I am so thrilled to have experienced it and had the opportunity availed to me”.
Fundraising team (11)
Reshad Nazarzai
Organizer
Ottawa, ON
Ajmal Omar
Team member
Hosa Stan
Team member
Jawid Zamani
Team member
Maliha Hamidi
Team member
