{"530021":{"#nid":"530021","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Graduate Making Travel Safer for Women in Pakistan","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022intro-text\u0022\u003EFulbright scholar and Georgia Tech public policy graduate Hira Batool Rizvi is taking a serious problem in her native Pakistan head on, and she has launched a startup company to help provide a solution. Navigating traffic in major cities like Islamabad and Rawalpindi can be difficult enough, but it\u2019s even harder for women.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERizvi noticed women dealing with harassment, price gouging, and safety issues during routine commutes, and it made them reluctant to use public options for transportation. That\u2019s when she set to coming up with a solution at a hackathon while studying here at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI was always into using technology to improve lives,\u201d Rizvi says.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERizvi launched\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/shekab.com\/About\u0022\u003EShe\u2019kab\u003C\/a\u003E, a shared taxi service just for the women of her country. The company uses existing taxi services to build a network of safe, affordable, and reliable transportation for women.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELaunching a startup in Pakistan as a female presents some unique challenges. Rizvi is boss to an all-male work force. While there have been some challenges, she says she works to turn her gender in her favor and says many people are more courteous because she\u2019s a female supervisor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI really want to make a difference in the lives of girls like me,\u201d Rizvi says. \u201cIt\u2019s my way of giving back to Pakistan.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/share.america.gov\/drive-for-womens-empowerment\/\u0022\u003ELearn more about She\u0027Kab.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAn Electrical Engineer by profession and an entrepreneur by passion, Hira Batool Rizvi believes in the power of leveraging technology to improve lives. While at Georgia Tech, she conceived the idea behind She\u0027Kab. She\u0027Kab is a technology platform that connects female riders to trusted taxi drivers in Pakistan, creating a safer mode of travel for women. Video courtesy United Stated Educational Foundation in Pakistan.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Engineer and entrepreneur Hira Batool Rizvi is using Technology to make a difference in her home country."}],"uid":"27563","created_gmt":"2016-04-27 10:53:53","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:21:28","author":"Alana Franklin","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-04-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2016-04-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1297","name":"Office of International Education"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}