Where the taxi motorcycle and drivers are women

When the three children are not enough to eat, Monica Atieo decided to apply to work through a new program to become women’s motorcycle taxi drivers.

At first he himself was the secret of her husband, and the motorcycle taxi driver in Ukwala, Kenya. It was angry and threatened to leave when he finds. 29-year-old Mrs. Atieno said, “I will do this, because I know what I achieve.”

Last year, after a hundred hours training, a motorcycle taxi driver – as called “Boda girl”. Now the Boda Boda Security Association is one of the only 1000 women between about 2.5 million motorcycles in the east African people of the East African people.

The road to success was full of obstacles. Many women, who signed as Ms. Atieno, did not last a motorcycle, drove a car in a car. They faced harassing from passengers and compatriots. They said husbands were rejected.

The women were trained in the necessary skills such as self-defense and mechanics. Now many are income and independence, new strong, and in some cases, they began to support all their families and once they were unable.

“When Boda joined the girls, my life has completely changed,” he said. Lilian Rehema, one of the first female motorcycle taxi drivers in Lilian Rehema, 33, its territory. “My children can wear stylish. They can get food every day.”

Dan Ogola, who worked at the local Matibabu Hospital for two decades, saw Ogola, women’s job search or referral to the hospital in search of work or receptions.

Hospital was one of the greatest employers in Siya County, where one million residents live in the villages and small towns in the villages and small towns through straight plains and plain plains. Many people earn money with farming corn, cassaver or sweet potatoes. Others fish in Victoria Lake of Africa’s largest lake. Things are especially scarce for women.

At the same time, Mr. Ogola saw a problematic example: the same women were patients, they could not hospitalize for medical examinations. When many were pregnant, he had to even go to two hours to get to the hospital. Some were routing.

Thus, with the support of the American charity, the Tiba Foundation, which helped to finance the hospital, hired a driving school to train female motorcycle taxi drivers. In April 2022, 10 women from nearby villages – “Boda girls” hired the first cohort.

“We are killing poverty by creating jobs for them,” and people show us health services for us and women. “

After the husband died of Ms. Rehema, he could not earn money from Kale, who grown on the small farm. On the eve of losing his house, it was forced to ask for money. After the struggle for years, he came across a surprising work of the Matibabu Hospital when he went to find a job as a doll.

Boda-Bodas never heard about women who driving because they were called two-wheeled taxis.

Boda-Bodas, in the 1960s, along the border between Kenya and Uganda, the researchers’ border will shout at the border “on the border with his colleagues. The thing that started as a bicycle taxis that became a motorcycle taxis – is often cheap, bicycles imported from India. Boda-Bodas became one of the great economic forces of Kenya.

“I didn’t know how to walk, but I could learn,” said Mrs. Rehema.

Time and perseverance, I mastered the skills to walk the unexpected dirt roads in the region: while keeping the brakes stable and hits the corners before leaning. Learned how to change the engine oil in unfavorable conditions.

Two years ago, the first woman in his territory was one of the drivers. Now he is in a hurry to deliver his babies to the pending mothers to hospitalize and check their women and babies. When it comes to the hospital, everyone kisses the babies, and shakes their hands as a lovely local politician.

The “Boda Girls” program was an inspiring instant shot to others.

Each morning Lucy Odele was impressed with the confidence of Boda’s daughters. Ms. Odele had a polio, like a child, leaving him with a foot on the right leg, it made it difficult to stop for a long time. He also became difficult to find work. Mrs. Odele, who lives as a parent who is a parent, asked 38, independence. He appealed to the program, and in May 2023, as part of the second cohort, 13 were attended by another woman.

But Ms. Odele said he was hard to swing his leg on the bike first, he said he was fighting first. “I was crying. I saw the progress of others, I stayed where I was.”

Refuse to want, the program found it a solution: a small scooter where he can install more easily. In the night, he placed him in a tight house, placing him next to the sofa as a friend.

“I know that I know what is happening, he walks long distances to clinics,” I know. “I don’t want anyone to suffer in the way I suffer.”

The program has already raised 51 women. In the early morning light, in colorful bikes with bright pink seats – can be seen in the cadet status. When graduating, these are given purple leather seats showing hand-sized Boda girls logo.

Last summer, when he was in the work of purple Onyango, his family could not get a fare to transport him to the hospital and the baby refused to help. Thus, he called one of the girls who took him to more than one examination to save his baby to a safe way, one of the girls who took him to more than one examination.

After that, Mrs. Onyango, the AvID player, baby, “I want him to go to school, study and become a footballer like me.”

Many men believe that Boda-Boda drivers receive women’s work.

“I used to work well before Boda girls came, but I have changed things.” “My work has been reduced since.”

Kenya Boda Boda Boda Boda Boda Safety Association President Kevin Mubadi, who supported women’s drivers, “Some passengers still find strange for women to walk in Boda-Boda-Boda.”

He added that women often live in “male customers sexual harassment.”

Boda girls learn self defense to protect themselves. Trainers teach you to take a conflicting position if they are not inappropriate to the rules and are ready to threaten the defense position and are ready to threaten the defense.

Boda girls began to share these skills with girls in nearby schools.

The landscape changes slowly, not like a driver, but also as a driver, but also like engineers and mechanics – changes.

When Ms. Atieno saw the first program, an anchoptic husband, who threatened to leave, changed his mind after a month, changed his mind when he saw that he had already won a double. Boda Girl took a cow and a few pigs with a profit and expanded to other businesses as soap and tailors.

One morning in July, he took his children to school behind the purple motorcycle. Her husband also sobbly, so he can take part in a parent-teacher meeting. Ms. Atieno was activated after taking them at school.