Pedaling the Path to Empowerment

Written by Caroline / 01 April 2011 / Read Caroline's latest blog entries.

Guest post from Rudmila Rahman of Arohi at arohicycling @ gmail . com

On Friday Feb 25th, a group of thirty passionate women from diverse walks to life got on their bicycles and rode through Dhaka to promote bicycles as an alternative means of mobility for women in Bangladesh. They cycled more than 5 kilometers together, through the streets of Dhaka. They joined this rally organized by Arohi - Bangladesh’s first women’s cycling initiative aimed to gather a critical mass of individuals who are interested to promote cycling for women in Bangladesh in order to ride a bicycle to work, school or for recreation, with an aim to break the stigma attached to a girl on a cycle

They believe this, in turn, will promote freedom of mobility in Dhaka for women, as well as a cleaner environment. Bangladeshi women face significant barriers from family, neighbors and society in getting on a bike a riding around town in bright daylight. Freedom of mobility is seriously curtailed in Dhaka if women don't feel safe to travel independently in their own city. Over 35% of female commuters in Dhaka depend on a cycle rickshaw and as more major roads ban these rickshaws, daily mobility for women is threatened furthermore. Arohi’s tagline: “Pedaling the way to empowerment” summarizes the links that we plan to draw between cycles, mobility and empowerment.

Arohi will follow in the coming months with awareness and advocacy events with the community and local government. The organization’s long term objectives include creating broader social impact by increasing uptake of cycling on target communities of highly mobile women such as students, garments workers, NGO field workers, etc through developing a model that will encourage urban cycling and provide rental bicycles to these communities. First create the path and then motivate others to follow!

Beyond the objective of empowerment, bicycling is a clean and green way to travel in a city which has one of the highest levels of air pollution in the world.  The density of airborne particulate matter can reach 463 micrograms per cubic meter- the highest level in the world. Pollution from vehicles is the main cause of smoke, smog and dust. Therefore, Arohi plans to combine the perception of cycling as an alternative to mobility through cars and public transport and work with the Dhaka City Corporation to promote cycle friendly interventions in the city for both men and women.

The response to a cycling initiative in Dhaka has been tremendous. But a major hurdle is the fact that the last time many women got on a bike was when they were 10 years old, for reasons such as social taboo, family displeasure or a lack of self-confidence. To commemorate international Women’s Day, Arohi will to host a bicycle training workshop to help interested women learn how to maneuver on two wheels in Dhaka and take the first step toward the path of empowerment.

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Vision: To establish freedom of mobility for women in Bangladesh through owning and riding a bicycle.

Mission: We are a organization of passionate individuals who strive to empower women of all ages and backgrounds to demand freedom of mobility as a fundamental human right and promote bicycling as an alternative means of mobility for women in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Our objective is to break the stigma associated with a girl on a bicycle and ensure each and every woman in Bangladesh can cycle from point A to point B without fear for personal safety, fear of public harassment and fear of breaking social and cultural taboos. We believe riding a bicycle sends out a strong message against barriers to female mobility within a conservative society, promotes environmentally friendly lifestyle and creates a route towards opportunities for social and economic development. We will inspire collective action locally and globally in order to
transform mobility in Bangladesh.  

Meaning of name: Arohi (pron: aa-row-hee)  is the Bengali word for 'rider' as is apt for a cycling organization originating in Dhaka, Bangladesh. However the motivation came from the word’s sanskrit root ‘aarohana’ which means ascendance, with forms of the word used to describes things ranging from describe spiritual ascendancy to rising octaves in South Asian classical music or to describe the victorious in epic battles. We hope that each member of this organization defines themselves as an ‘Arohi’ and embraces the namesake to rise towards empowerment.
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Social Media

We've all witnessed the power of social media tools in gathering the masses in the recent weeks and the power of collective voice and action to affect social change, Arohi wants to do the same with the youth of Dhaka!

Facebook Page:

http://www.facebook.com/arohicycling 
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Blog: http://arohicycling.wordpress.com/ 
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Twitter: http://twitter.com/arohicycling

Contact
Arohi is looking for volunteers to advise on expansion strategy, liase with local and international media, fundraising and also on-site volunteering in Dhaka. Get in touch if you’re interested!

Rudmila Rahman: arohicycling @ gmail . com