In 2018, Liliane Felix embarked on a journey to Africa. During her time in Uganda, where she lived for 2 years, she was deeply impressed by the strength, dignity and resilience of Ugandan women, but she also witnessed firsthand the multiple barriers—cultural, social and structural—that kept them invisibly and vulnerable.

The turning point came with a seemingly simple gesture: the purchase of a motorcycle. What was for her a common means of transportation or even leisure, in Uganda became a true tool of freedom and independence. The motorcycle allowed her to reach places inaccessible by public transport and to feel safe.

Rapid urbanization in Uganda, like many other African countries, had increased the population’s need for mobility and access to public transport. However, the necessary infrastructure to provide a safe and sustainable public service had not been developed. Faced with the lack of response from the public service, informal private transport had emerged, mainly in the form of motorcycle taxis known as boda-boda, which had become the most widely used means of transport by the population.

Liliane observed that almost all commercial motorcycle drivers (boda-boda) were men and the following questions were raised: the limitation of women’s access to this labor sector and therefore to obtaining income through this route, and the risk for women of traveling by this means, easily turning them into targets of gender violence. Therefore, the difficulty of safe mobility for women that limited their personal autonomy and access to the labor market in general.

Faced with this fact, Liliane recognized the transformative potential of motorcycles, locally known as bodabodas,in creating opportunities for women. Yet she also saw the urgent need to do this sustainably.With Africa’s growing cities and the climate crisis at hand, the vision became clear: empower women through transport mobility, but do it in a way that protects the planet—by embracing electric mobility.

A few years later, and with unwavering dedication, Liliane, supported by a few women volunteers in Europe who believed in her vision, founded Women Rising for Africa (WRA), launching its flagship program, Women on Wheels (WOW). This initiative was designed to provide women with not only access to motorcycles but also the skills, training, and confidence to ride them. Through WOW, women across Africa aregaining safe mobility, independence, and green opportunities. They can now navigate their communities freely, access education and jobs, support their families, and lead the transition to sustainable transport.