Azad Foundation

Today, we bring you the story of a young woman from our #WomenWithWheels programme. Sunaina, is a 19-year-old from Delhi. This is about her transformation from a young girl who worked as a labourer to make ends meet, to becoming a professional driver. #InternationalWomensDay

Young girls are taking a stand for themselves and ensuring a just world for all. Will you support them? Check out our #AzadKishori programme, link in bio #Azad #RightsJusticeAction #womenshistorymonth

Young girls are taking a stand for themselves and ensuring a just world for all. Will you support them? Check out our #AzadKishori programme, link in bio #Azad #RightsJusticeAction #womenshistorymonth

He also spoke on the need to engage with men to create a supportive environment for women to work in non-traditional professions, usually dominated by men. Thus, creating equal opportunities for women and changing the gender dynamics. #AzadatCSW70 #CSW70 #ReframingMasculinities

Azad’s Hari Sharma shared his experience of working at the grassroot level in four cities in India; the need to break rigid gender norms & notions of masculinity in the session — “Reframing Masculinities: Shifting Power, Delivering Justice,” at #CSW70.

They shared how physical mobility allows women to become confident drivers with regular income, through our #WWW programme. Learn more about the programme on our website. #Azad #SheSparks2026

Last Saturday, our #WomenWithWheels alumnae—Shashi, Hazira and Kumari Aarti, talked about what it means to be a professional woman driver in a big city and how it has changed their life, in a session hosted by @YourStoryCo's Shradha Sharma.

At #SheSparks2026, Hazira, Kumari Arti, and Shashi shared how mobility transformed their lives. Through Azad Foundation’s Women with Wheels programme, they moved from domestic work and unsafe commutes to becoming professional drivers and instructors, earning steadily and reclaiming independence. They spoke candidly about the barriers women face. How society expects women to stay within the household. How financial dependence often means not being able to ask for what you want. Today, driving has given them more than a profession, it has given them safety, confidence, and the power to make their own choices. Because sometimes, the road to independence really begins behind the wheel. @SharmaShradha

At #SheSparks2026, Shashi from @FoundationAzad's Women with Wheels programme spoke about what it takes to follow a dream. When she first decided to become a driver, there were natural concerns at home about safety. Like many families, her parents worried about her stepping into a space rarely imagined for women. But their support never left her side. With the encouragement of her mother and father, Shashi found the confidence to keep going and pursue her dream. Because courage may start the journey— but family support is what helps you finish it. @SharmaShradha

And we do this under the #WomenWithWheels programme in Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata and Chennai. During the discussion, Manjushree Saha, a cab driver from Kolkata, shared her personal experience to convey the importance of the Skill++ training.

“Breaking Gender Stereotypes: Anecdotes of Women in the Transport Sector,” at Gurudas College, Kolkata. Azad believes one way to break gendered stereotypes is to give Skill ++ training to marginalised women, to join and sustain jobs in male-dominated formal sector.

How do gender stereotypes affect women in the transport sector? Our National Lead, Mousumi Sarkar, talked about this and the need to build an ecosystem to sustain women in non-traditional professions, in a panel called

2/2 “Power, Policy & Change: From Agenda to Inclusive Action” as part of the National Convention on Women, held at Jindal Global University. #Azad #NationalConventiononWomeninIndia

1/2 What does it take for women from marginalised backgrounds to become part of formal economy and exercise their rights? Dolon Ganguly our Chief Functionary, shared her views on this and how Azad works to create an enabling environment for women in the session,

To register scan the QR code, or visit: forms.gle/V8HjDusuCmTD2H… Do come by if you are attending #CSW70 and meet with Team Azad in-person. ⏰ 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM 📍Salvation Army (Lower Level), 221 E. 52nd St., New York, NY 10022

📢 Join Us at the #CSW70 in New York on 13th March! Azad’s Hari Sharma will participate with Pritha Chatterjee and Laxman Belbase in an interactive session called “Reframing Masculinities: Shifting Power, Delivering Justice” moderated by Jose Miguel Campi. #CSW70 #Azad

4/4 সমান মজুরী, সামাজিক সুরক্ষা, নিরাপদ কর্মপরিবেশ,ক্রেশ, শৌচাগার,কর্মীর স্বীকৃতি এবং ট্রান্স কুইয়ার মানুষদের অধিকারের মত বহু দাবি মিছিলে উঠে এসেছে। মিছিলে আজাদ ফাউন্ডেশনের সাথে সাথে স্বয়ম ও অঞ্জলির মত বহু সংগঠন অংশগ্রহণ করে। প্রায় ৩০০ মানুষ এই মিছিলে স্বর মেলালেন। #IWD2026

3/4 আন্তর্জাতিক শ্রমজীবী নারী দিবস উপলক্ষে নারী দিবস উদযাপন মঞ্চের উদ্যোগে নারী,ট্রান্স ও কুইয়ার মানুষদের জীবন ও শ্রমের অধিকারের প্রশ্নে সরব হয়ে রাজপথে পা মেলালেন আজাদের সমস্ত কর্মী, ফেমিনিস্ট লিডার, প্রাক্তনী ও শিক্ষার্থীরা ।

1/4 From the streets of Kolkata & Delhi to Jaipur; Azad’s teams, feminist leaders, alumnae, & Kishoris; came together to celebrate and march in solidarity with other civil society organisations on International Women’s Day. In Delhi, around 60 of our feminist leaders, trainees,

Today's @the_hindu features the Chennai chapter of Azad's #WomenWithWheels programme. Read about the remarkable journeys of our alumae and how they became professional drivers. #InternationalWomensDay2026