{wmaremote}http://cgi.omroep.nl/cgi-bin/streams?/ghettoradio/lagos/music/lady_mechanics_initiative_lagos.wma{/wmaremote}How often do you see female mechanics in Amsterdam, London or New York? That's why programmes such as the Lady Mechanics Initiative, Lagos, and Taxi Sisters, Dakar, are such a big deal.

 

Changing perceptions
It isn't only that they provide training and/or employment in areas previously perceived as male-only, but also that by making it less unusual to see women in these roles they alter society's perceptions of women in general, i.e. how men see women, and how women see themselves, something that was clearly on the mind of the Lady Mechanics Initiative's founder, Sandra Aguebor, when she set up the project in 2000: “When I see a woman and her car has broken down and she looking at it as if it is a cooking pot in the kitchen - I get so angry!”.

Straight outta the ghettos
The Lady Mechanics Initiative, which Sandra founded in 2000, is particularly striking because of its emphasis on the disadvantaged and/or vulnerable, and scouting for the likely recruits in the slums and ghettos of Lagos, e.g. Ajegunle (aka jungle city), Mushin, Oshodi, Isale Eko, Ipaja.

Audio report by Sarah Simpson, World vision Report

Related posts
Taxi Sisters - breaking the gender barrier
Gender roles - Men: What would you do if you were a woman? (Nairobi)
Why is it different for girls?