As part of the Red Rickshaw Revolution, three women will be embarking on a nine-day rickshaw journey between March 9 and 18 from Delhi to Mumbai to discover some ordinary women doing extraordinary things

The Red Rickshaw Revolution is a unique initiative by the Vodafone Foundation to celebrate the achievements of ordinary women doing extraordinary things across India to raise money for three NGOs which are working to empower women.

From raising awareness about India’s unsung women heroes to raising funds, the Red Rickshaw Revolution will see Sunita Chaudhary (Delhi’s first woman auto rickshaw driver), Laura Turkington (director of Vodafone Foundation in India) and Carina Deegan (Foundation support) embark on a nine-day journey, between March 9 and 18, from New Delhi to Mumbai in a red autorickshaw. They will travel through Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra covering more than 1,500 km. Along the route, they will discover, meet and talk to ordinary women doing extraordinary things, which will be streamed onto the website www.redrickshaw.in.
The website, which went live on February 19, has many special features. ‘Today’s inspiration’ section showcases an extraordinary woman every day. The website also features videos of ordinary women saying why they feel proud to be a woman. Interested people can join in the conversation and register on the website. Women can also send smses about what makes them proud to be a woman.

Those interested in donating for the larger cause of women’s empowerment can get details from the website. For every donation made, Vodafone Foundation will make a contribution and has pledged to match up to Rs 85 lakh in donations.

One of the three NGOs that Vodafone Foundation has tied up with for this initiative is Breakthrough, which is trying to change individual attitudes and behaviour by building a culture of human rights, and promoting safety and security for women. Community Outreach Programme (CORP), which is one of Mumbai’s leading NGOs, is dedicated to the eradication of poverty in slums. Expanding its operations from Dharavi to 13 different slums, CORP has reached out to more than one million children and women. Apne Aap Women’s Collective (AAWC) has been working in Mumbai’s Kamathipura, Asia’s largest and oldest red-light area. Through its programmes — Umeed (Hope) for women in brothel-based sex work (ages 18+), Udaan (Flight) for daughters of sex workers and other marginalised girls (ages 6-21), and Umang (Joy) for toddlers of sex workers (ages 2.5-5) — AAWC is making a difference in their lives.