FREETOWN — Hawa Mansaray, a 27-year-old single mother, has joined a small but growing number of women driving auto-rickshaws — known locally as kekeh — in Freetown, Sierra Leone, a commercial transport sector that until recently was almost exclusively operated by men. About 20 of the more than 1,000 registered members of the Sierra Leone Kekeh Riders Union in western Freetown are women.

Auto-rickshaws have become more widely used to fill gaps in Sierra Leone's public transport system as demand for commercial motorcycles and rickshaws has increased. Commuters prefer auto-rickshaws because they are easily accessible and offer ventilation and relative comfort.

Mansaray, originally from Kailahun District, was born during the height of Sierra Leone's civil war, which lasted from 1991 to 2002. She dropped out of school at the primary level, separated from her husband, and ran small businesses to support herself and her baby. She initially did not plan to drive rickshaws for a living but paid to receive driving training after seeing other women succeed in the business. "I have done different jobs since I came to Freetown but kekeh has done more for me," Mansaray said.

She works for a company that requires her to make daily returns of 350 leones ($14) and earns an average daily wage of 175 leones ($7), which is considered a high income for many in Sierra Leone. "I will advise my fellow women who aren't employed to come into the game," she said.

Alimatu Kamara, another female rickshaw driver who had been unemployed for years before entering the trade, described the challenges women face in the profession. "Some women can panic," Kamara said. "It takes mind and determination to continue." She plans to expand her business by purchasing more rickshaws.

Marfoh Mariama Samai, a women's rights advocate with Plan International Sierra Leone, said barriers remain for women seeking to enter such fields. "Women are seen as people not adequate to do certain types of jobs," Samai said. "So when a young woman ventures into a certain type of job, they are stigmatized." Sierra Leone has one of the lowest levels of access to and availability of financial services in Africa, making it harder for women and rural residents to recover from economic shocks. "When the man gives you the money, he makes all the decisions," Samai said. "More young women should be encouraged to get into the transport sector."