The international Labour Organisation has reported that jobs in the transport sector are among the most gendered in the world. It is undisputed that it even gets harder in developing countries where women mainly enjoy a limited role as a result of various societal barricades such as cultural stereotypes. This however did not stop Saidia Ali Jemmil from pursuing her career interests in the driving sector.
Saida’s driving journey started in 2006, after her failure to obtain a job following her graduation. She immediately pursued training and obtained her defensive driving qualification, which she used to obtain an internship at the district and later employment.
Her early career times at the district, Saidia engaged more in mechanics and later started driving and operating heavy vehicles such as bulldozers and caterpillars in excavation works. She later was transferred to ambulance driving, and now, she is attempting to master the bus driving skill.
Saidia says that her time as an ambulance driver was her most enjoyable. She recalls that a number of people were amazed by the idea of a woman driving an ambulance. For her part, the job was thrilling because of the sensitivity and importance it carried. She appreciated the fact that her fellow women’s lives and those of their babies depended on her efficiency which obligated her to execute her job maximumly.
Her most outstanding experience was during an emergency situation that arose during one of her ambulance journeys. At that point, Saidia recalls that the patient required immediate attention if she was to make it to the hospital at all. Being a woman, and with some knowledge in antenatal care, she was forced to stop and conduct preliminary birth procedures on the patience, after which she was able to drive her safely to the nearest health centre.
I worked at Obongi health centre from 2013 to 2017 and my work with the ambulance has been the best experience. My highlight was when I helped a pregnant lady deliver twins at the back of the ambulance, n our way to the hospital.
Her driving career transcended mere employment and became a service to society. To date, people still offer gifts to her for her exceptional services in the driving sector especially, as an ambulance driver. From it, she has obtained numerous jobs offers. Saidia appreciates the role fellow women have played in creating safer transport systems in the country. She is aware, for a fact, that women drivers are the most cautious and responsible drivers on the roads.
In fact, she notes that given her driving record and reputation, bus passengers always thought out loud about their wish for her to enter bus driving business and guarantee them with safe journeys. Notably, she was further moved by the constant invitations that male bus drivers extended to her to join the sector.
After she found out about the opportunity Safe Right Way offers to women to train for free, she quickly enrolled to train to drive the bus and is the first female bus driver Safe Way Right Way has trained and certified. She has realised her dream.
Saidia calls upon all the women out there hesitant about pursuing what they dearly dream of to have no second thoughts, especially in the driving sector.
The training was officially opened by Salongo Rogers Nsereko SP, the Deputy Police Commander Kampala Metropolitan who provided an overview of the road safety situation in Kampala and pledged his support to move the training program forward.
Safe Way Right Way under the Professional Driver Training Uganda (PDT-U) project has been able to train over 300 professional drivers and therefore contributing to keeping Uganda’s roads safe. The training which is held in Mukono at the Safe Way Right Way Driving Center has had many success stories and one of them is Acidri Nobert.
The Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) driving profession has been for a long time male dominated and Safe Way Right Way through its Professional Driver Training Project along with its partners is making an effort to change the narrative through offering HGV driver training to Women for free. Namoga Saima Jane is one of the beneficiaries of this offer. She got interested in this training and has just concluded her training in Medium Trucks at the Safe Way Right Way Driver Training Center in Mukono.
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