Social entrepreneur Revathi Roy is the founder of Hey Deedee. She started the service in March 2016. Revathi Roy tells SBS Hindi that she observed that these days, many people are shopping from home or online and that even if people see things on display, they come home and buy online.
She says this got her thinking.
"So I thought that if there is so much shopping happening then there must be a lot of delivery happening too. But when one would look around one would only see boys making the deliveries. So I thought why don’t we create a job and a profile for women who can drive their two-wheelers and deliver. So the idea came from there that this is a big business opportunity and that this is possible."
The girls working at Hey Deedee are mainly from BPL (Below poverty line) families. Most of them are first timers or girls who have been doing some housemaid jobs or other similar jobs.
Hey Deedee website Source: Hey Deedee website
Revathi Roy says there is a big issue in India about creating jobs for women and feels that what they are doing will also have a social impact. She emphasizes that Hey Deedee is all about Logistics by women.
"There is a process by which the girls are recruited by Hey Deedee. They are then given training. The training includes teaching them how to ride a two-wheeler and get a license (if they don't have one) and other aspects of the job.
Shraddha Jadhav works with Hey Deedee, she tells us how she started working for the company.
"My mum’s friends, they would make a group and go and learn how to ride a bike. So one day my mom asked them about it. I knew how to ride a bike but my mom doesn’t and I couldn’t teach my mom as I had to go to college so I didn’t get time. So my mom went herself and then I went with my mom to see where my mom was going to learn."
Shraddha says that when she went to Hey Deedee she spoke to a staff member there (Dorris madam) who asked her if she could do the job. Given that she was a ready rider, she got called for an interview and got the job the day after.
Shraddha Jadhav - Hey Deedee Source: Hey Deedee
She says her experience has been really good so far.
"Earlier I had to ask daddy again and again for pocket money, now there are days when daddy says give me some money (in a light-hearted manner). I can run my own house now. I tell my friends to come and join, that they can learn to ride a bike, they can make their own identity and stand on their feet."
Fehmida Qureshi joined Hey Deedee after her sister suggested that she could give it a go. She says that she felt good when she joined the company.
"This job enabled me to help my daughter study. My confidence kept increasing. My family supports me, my kids support me and my husband also praises me for my work, all this makes me feel very good."
Fehmida Qureshi - Hey Deedee Source: Hey Deedee
