We wouldn’t be able to deliver our work with resource-poor women without our partners. We are able to fulfill our mission thanks to generosity of our donors and expertise of our operational partners.
Our 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.
Institutional donors
We’re very grateful to all our institutional donors who believe in what we do and have been enabling us to continue, strengthen and grow our initiative.
Our work is currently supported by:
Over the years, we’re thankful for support from:
- Romeera Foundation with support from iPartner India
- DMI Finance with support from iPartner India
- Planeterra Foundation
- Edelgive Foundation
- Sir Dorabji Tata Trust
- Giving Women
- Shell Foundation
- pictet
- Reliance Foundation
- Satyamev Jayate
Strategic partners
Programme partners
Since 2015, we have been forming strategic programme partnerships to bring Women on Wheels to new locations. Our current programme partners implementing Women on Wheels include:
We’ve also worked with NEWIG in Ghana to establish the programme in Accra.
Women on Wheels Academy partners
Women on Wheels Academy, enables women from areas where Azad does not operate in to take up Women on Wheels technical and self-development residential training. Our academy partners identify and enroll resource-poor women for the Academy and are responsible for facilitating an employment for the women once they complete their training.
The Academy partners past and present include:
- Jagori Rural – Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh
- Ekal Nari Shakti Sangathan (ENSS) – Kota district, Rajasthan
- Mahila Jan Adhikar Samiti (MJAS) – Ajmer district, Rajasthan
- SAATH – Ahmedabad, Gujarat
- Jan Vikas – Ahmedabad, Gujarat
- ANT, Assam
- Ekal Nari Shakti Sangathan, Pali, Rajasthan
- MUSKAAN, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
- REAMVS-Rashtriya Ekta avam Manav Vikas Sastha, Bikaner, Rajasthan
Public sector
Our work is well known within and has earned support from the Transport Department, with Delhi Transport Corporation appointing one of our drivers as the first ever female bus driver. The partnership with Delhi Police – Crime Against Women Cell has moved beyond providing training in self-defence – the cell has been referring potential trainees to Azad. Delhi Commission for Women employs our drivers to drive to the rescue of victims who call their helpline. We’re also working with National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation (NSKFDC
Corporate sector
Some of our most significant partners are Maruti IDTR and the franchise network of Maruti Driving School, which has been providing driving classes to all Azad trainees. Maruti provides the training at no cost to those women who fulfil their CSR criteria of age and educational qualification. Various other companies are providing placement opportunities to the women drivers trained by Azad.
Civil society
We are collaborating with a range of organisation on community outreach and mobilisation and to deliver specific parts of our capacity development programme – such as Thoughtshop Foundation, Red Cross India, Kolkata Sanveed, amongst many.
We have also been engaging with other initiatives that empower women to taken on non-traditional livelihood options. We are currently building a collective of like-minded organisations to influence policy and practice in the area of women empowerment.
