Lebanese mother drives a taxi to feed her family

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STORY: This Lebanese mother drives a taxi to feed her family

Amal Daaboul sets off early in the mornings to pick up passengers

Location: Beirut, Lebanon

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LEBANESE TAXI DRIVER, AMAL DAABOUL, SAYING:

“When I first started, people were honestly very surprised. Now, not anymore. Maybe I’ve adapted, maybe people got used to seeing women driving. There are still a few people though. I am bothered when I stop to pick someone up and he says, ‘Yes? Yes?’ assuming I am asking for directions or something. He might not have seen that my car is a taxi, so I look at him and say, ‘Never mind.’ "

Daaboul started driving a taxi seven years ago

The flexible job allows her to drive her daughters around too

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DAUGHTER OF AMAL DAABOUL AND PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT, AMIRA HAWI, SAYING: “I am proud and I consider it a privilege, not everyone has their parents driving them around, especially with the current fuel situation now. I definitely feel that if my mother wasn’t working as a taxi driver, if she didn’t drive or had another job, I would have had more trouble going back and forth to the university.”