Hello MissMalini fans, my name is Laura and along with two other women – Carina, a good friend & Sunita, one of the first few Indian female auto rickshaw drivers – we will be driving a rickshaw from Delhi to Mumbai. The journey starts on March 9th and will cover 1500 kms across five states – from the deserts of Rajasthan, to the bright lights of Mumbai! Follow along on Twitter @RedRickshaw & with the hashtag #WheelsofChange.

Laura Turkington - Director, Vodafone Foundation
Laura Turkington – Director, Vodafone Foundation
Laura Turkington & Carina Deegan
Laura Turkington & Carina Deegan

Along the way, we have two important goals. We to want to meet ordinary women doing extraordinary things ( and share their story with you), and we want to raise money for 3 incredible NGOs – Apne Aap Women’s Collective, Breakthrough, and Corp India – who all work to support women empowerment.

From teaching 8000 young girls in Delhi self defense, to helping set up new enterprises in the slums of Mumbai; we need your help to make it happen! The Vodafone Foundation has pledged to match donations up to Rs. 85 lakhs to give us a head start : ) And so the RED RICKSHAW REVOLUTION was born!

Sunita Chaudhary - first female rickshaw driver in Delhi, with Laura Turkington
Female rickshaw driver Sunita Chaudhary & Laura Turkington
Red Rickshaw Revolution Journey Map
Red Rickshaw Revolution Journey Map

We hope you will follow our journey and support the cause! Before we go, we will be profiling inspirational women on our website – and facebook page, so jump on board! Using technology, we will also be listening to what makes women proud across India and showcasing this online.

I look forward to sharing this story with you. Despite just recently launching, the support is growing by the day, and the generosity of spirit has been truly overwhelming. Apart from a serious lack of sleep, I am so excited about this opportunity! We have already discovered some amazing women which you will hear about shortly and that makes me proud for sure.

Laura Turkington
Laura Turkington

Stay tuned for live updates from the journey!