In 2008 our association received funding from AMES Australia to run a driving education program for a group of local Afghan women in Melbourne south-east. Since then, our association has been running this extremely popular program whenever the funding was available as we regard learning to drive as one of key factors in successful settlement of Afghan refugee and migrant women in Australia.

Afghan women, have suffered greatly as a result of decades of conflict in Afghanistan, including living under the harsh Taliban dictatorship who came back to power in August 2021. As most women in Afghanistan have lacked access to education, employment, and drive they must be reliant on their spouses and male family members to a great extent. However, in contrast to Afghanistan, Australia is a country where women’s and men’s rights are equal, and women have their own independence. Learn to drive is a necessity for the Afghan Australian women’s active and meaningful participation in society. Obtaining a driver’s license is not just a form of identification for them; it is also a means to starting a new life free of limitations and restrictions.