Women on Wheels to train 500,000 women by 2025’

LAHORE : Syeda Henna Babar Ali and Salman Sufi are the people behind a social revolution taking place in the country with Women on Wheels (WoW).

The project, a brainchild of Salman Sufi, was launched by the Punjab government in 2016 under the then Punjab chief minister’s office and would have fallen by the wayside as many other projects have with a change in the government, had Sufi not been actively pursuing it. It is now an independent initiative of the Salman Sufi Foundation. Women on Wheels has set an ambitious target “to train 500,000 women by 2025. We have trained over 5000 women in Pakistan,” said Salman Sufi.

“Thanks to friends like Henna, we launched WoW in Karachi. Working independently, we don’t have to face hurdles from the bureaucracy. Civil society’s support is great. Packages will develop an ecosystem,” Salman Sufi sounded very hopeful. Syeda Henna Babar Ali of Packages Group, a poet and author of several books, in a session on “Women on Wheels: A silent Revolution” on the second day of the Lahore Literary Festival at the Alhamra Arts Center, said, “220 million people can’t wait for the government to solve problem of transportation and the private sector will do it only if it makes financial sense.”

Salman Sufi, a most vocal supporter of women empowerment, the other speaker in the talk, said “The private sector then steps in. Political support is very important to make any project successful but you don’t always get the support from the government where it is needed. When 200 women came out on bikes in Faisalabad, Rana Sanaullah himself led them on a bike. Lahore is the only city with a good transport system. Should we wait for another mass transit? We can give women e-bikes, make them mobile.” When a team of 150 trained women motorcycle riders took to the streets of Lahore three years back, there was huge excitement among people. WoW has reached out to colleges, government schools and the private sector to train women in driving motorbikes. Men’s support is imperative because mostly fathers and husbands are financers. Henna Babar Ali said it brings a new and fresh perspective in the boys club.

“The private sector has outsmarted the government in the education sector and it will do well whatever it takes up. We are trying to be role models. The government needs to do the basic job of managing the economy of the country and do things in the best interest of the people,” Henna said. “In Bhalwal there was great skepticism. We educated people through different means. Street artists did skits that really shook them. A girl told us she saved her husband’s life by taking him to hospital on a bike because she could ride. You show them the difference it can make,” said Sufi.

Salman Sufi and Henna Babar Ali are pilots. Women constitute 52 percent of the population of which 60 percent live in rural areas. “Once Women on Wheels takes off somebody will get brighter ideas on how to reach out to more women,” said Henna, adding, “The corporate sector realizes it is socially responsible. We are creating gender parity for women. I will ask the government to let free forces of market to function and the economy will begin to flourish.”

“There is a huge market out there. Mobility is empowering. They can benefit the economy at individual and country level,” said Sufi. To a question on training, Salman Sufi told The News, “We provide specialised bike riding training to women free of cost. We have a registration mechanism which facilitates us in making our customised training schedules. Currently, our training centre is running in Karachi University with WoW expanding to Lahore and Peshawar in March and April respectively. We also provide our trainees with safety training to better their on-the-road experience.”

To a question if there is any subsidy on motorbikes and who can get and how? He said, “Any of our beneficiaries can have access to subsidised bikes where we will be directly involved in the process to ensure that our trainees get the best deal. Our corporate sponsors facilitate the process.”

WoW is not just an initiative but a movement that is endeavouring to break social stigmas and make women’s access to the formal economy and public spaces achievable. “Our aim is to create an economic ecosystem where the women of Pakistan can be financially and socially independent, bettering Pakistan’s future,” Salman Sufi concluded.