Driving to Make a Difference program gives SW migrant women their independence

Bunbury City Council is supporting up to 10 migrant women to learn to drive as part of Bunbury’s multicultural group’s Driving to Make a Difference project. The project funded by the council will offer migrant women living in Bunbury five free driving lessons with a professional driving instructor and help them prepare for their practical driving assessment. This year is the third instalment of the project, and six women, from Indonesia, Syria, Uganda, India, Zimbabwe and Costa Rica have already signed up to take part. The initiative is run to reduce isolation, increase self-reliance, build self-confidence and improve the women’s opportunities to access services, build community networks and attend events in Bunbury. Shamara Williams, project vice-chair and president of the Bunbury Multicultural Group, said it was important for migrant women to have independence as they built their lives in the South West. “We wanted to give women the ability to get out and be part of the community because when you can’t drive and you are dependent on public transport or someone else to drive you, it can become quiet isolated,” she said. “We wanted to run this program specifically for woman from a different background, specifically those who are new migrants. “It’s such a beautiful program we have created, and we are so proud of it.” Indian woman Rita Saini moved to Bunbury more than four years ago to raise her family, but said not having a licence made her life extremely difficult. “(In India) I used to have a motorbike and went wherever I wanted to go, but I don’t know how to drive a car so I have to depend on my husband or a taxi,” she said. “My daughter is always very keen to go to the park. She wants to go every day, so it’s really hard to get both of them into the pram or on public transport. “Thank God I got a chance here. “My husband is a busy man and doesn’t have very much time, so this is everything for me that I can start my new life when I get my licence.” Cr Amanda Yip attended the induction meeting last month on behalf of the council and said she was looking forward to these women becoming part of the community. “For us, the outcome is you are more mobile, you can get out in the community and walking the streets and being part of the community, and that’s what we would like to see more of,” she said. “The missing link has always been the transport, so its great that is coming together as part of this program.”