Batula: A female ambulance driver in Kenya Batula Ali is a special woman in Kenya who works as an ambulance driver, where she encourages wo...
Batula: A female ambulance driver in Kenya
Batula Ali is a special woman in Kenya who works as an ambulance driver, where she encourages women and girls who are interested in driving an ambulance and working in the health sector.
From Dayo Yussuf
Garissa is an area in Northern Kenya which is one of the hottest places in the country, where the temperature sometimes reaches 40 degrees Celsius. The country is flat and dry, and there are mountains.
The country is good in terms of agriculture, where the local people cultivate and raise animals.
Drivers always give way to thousands of camels, sheep and goats to cross the road and help the shepherds who live in the area.
One of the drivers following this route is Batula Ali Abdullah. As a female ambulance driver, Batula is showing the public that she can do this job which is mostly done by men.
If you travel about 10 kilometers from the east, you will find Hagadera refugee camp. It is a large refugee camp containing 100,000 people, where the number is increasing every day.
Those who live in this old refugee camp are people who have experienced drought or the problem of insecurity from their communities, mostly women and children.
Batula works as a driver between the refugee camp and the Garissa General Hospital, where she provides emergency aid to the most needy patients.
Saving lives
"I have been a driver for 15 years. I have been working as a driver in the Ministry of Works since 2019. I started working as an ambulance driver," as Batula told TRT Afrika.
Batula is the only woman who drives an ambulance in the area and since she started driving her first ambulance in 2019, she never gets tired. "This is where my food is," she said.
"I feel happy when I see how I help people by taking them to the emergency room. I took women who were on the verge of death. I rushed them to the hospital and their lives were saved," she said.
Batula never expected to work in the health sector. But four years ago she was engaged in the field.
At times, Batula drives 15 patients a day. She is proud of her contribution in saving the lives of people who are in difficult situations.
"I've helped other women give birth and I've helped with hysterectomy. I feel good that I'm helping too," she said.
Women feel happy
Now Batula has the goal of deepening her knowledge in the field of health through training. "I'm thinking of going and getting trained to be a nurse or a midwife. I think it's a great thing to help bring a person into this world. That's a good thing," she said.
The story of Batula has reached the country of Kenya and some regions in the neighboring country of Somalia. She said that most of the women are happy when she is the one driving the car.
"Somali women do not relax when working with men. If I am there and I can help, they are very happy. Sometimes they even ask where I am," she told TRT Afrika. .
Some say this shows there is a need for more women in the health and emergency services sector. "I hope to see more women and girls in this field. They can do the job," she said.
Take on the challenge
Batula is encouraging girls from the area, making them believe that it is possible to increase the number of female ambulance drivers and health workers.
"When girls see me 'running' in an ambulance with blood, they scream. They ask me if they can also be an ambulance driver," she said.
She said she had to suffer before people accepted her as a taxi driver
health.
Batula said that at first she faced challenges from some members of her family and some people who thought she was overstepping her bounds.
"At first they didn't understand it. But now they are happy with me. They are proud of my work."
The job of an ambulance driver requires dedication and is time consuming at times, where at times you will be called out in the middle of the night. Batula said these are among the challenges she faces.
However, she said that this does not discourage her but rather encourages her to do what he is doing. She believes that after the happiness she gets from the work, many people are proud of her because of her care and encouragement.