Dubai resident Jowana Burgen is on a mission to make women more comfortable with cars. The Canadian expat who moved to the UAE last year has been organising ladies-only classes, teaching the basics of car care, including, how to change a flat tyre and how to change wiper blades.
“Cars can be intimidating, especially if you’ve always relied on someone else to take care of them,” she said. “Our goal is to break down those barriers and show women that they can handle this.”
During her last session in Dubai, Jowana said one attendee’s story made her smile. “Her car broke down while she was out and about,” she said. “No one stopped to help her. Finally, it was a woman who stopped and helped her change her tyre. She said that she wanted to be the woman who stopped to help others who are stranded. I thought it was a very sweet reason to learn more about how to take care of cars.”
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Being the ‘fix-it’ girl
Jowana said that growing up in Canada with just her mother and siblings, she quickly became the ‘fix-it’ girl in the house. “My father used to live in Jordan so whenever something in the house broke, I would be the one to fix it,” she said. “I soon began to enjoy repairing things and handling machinery.”
While studying at university in 2019, Jowana had a flat tyre and got her car towed to a garage. “As I watched the man doing it, I realised that I could have easily done what he did if I had the tools,” she said. “He also charged me a lot of money for doing it.”
Soon after that, her father asked her to check if her car was on a recall list. “I was driving a Pontiac G5 and there was a recall on it because of an ignition switch issue,” she said. “After my father asked me to check, I realised that my car was in the list to be recalled but I had not been contacted by the dealer because I had not registered with them. It drove home how little I knew about cars.”
With these incidents, Jowana decided to learn everything she could about cars and also spread the knowledge. “I began organising several workshops in Canada for women,” she said. “After one such workshop, a lady emailed me saying that she was grateful for them. Her husband used to take care of her car and after his death, she was at a loss on where to even get started on the car. That was a very moving message.”
Coming to Dubai
After completing her degree in mechanical engineering, Jowana moved to Dubai last year to join a leading automobile company. Here, she decided to try her luck at organising similar workshops.
“I didn’t think I could get a lot of interest because Dubai has such a service-oriented industry,” she said. “However, within the first two days I had 14 sign-ups. A total of 17 people showed up for the session. For many attendees, the workshops are more than just a learning experience. It’s a place to build friendships, network and most importantly it’s a judgement-free zone that allows each one to boost their confidence.”
Priced at approximately Dh300-Dh350, the session lasts 4-5 hours and covers several topics including how to check for car fluids, what to do in cases of emergency, how to jump-start a car and what dashboard symbols mean.
“It was astonishing that many women did not even know that most insurance companies offer free car towing services in the event of a breakdown or an accident,” she said. “The day after my last session, one lady messaged me and said that her engine overheated and she knew exactly what to do, thanks to my workshop.”
Jowana is hopeful that in future, such sessions will be offered more widely. “I want to bring this to universities, schools and even try to integrate some hands on education to driving schools,” she said. “I want to make sure that women all across the country are confident in handling their cars and know the basics of car maintenance.”