Professional Drivers
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Professional Driver Training for 10 Women
PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS TRAINING & CERTIFICATION OF 10 WOMEN
Our founders, Debbie and Gita, travelled to Nepal in October 2017 to identify potential partners and assess the needs of the local communities. During their visit, they identified several potential projects but decided to start with a pilot to train 10 women to become professional drivers in Kathmandu based on the interest of the women and what vocational skills they wanted to learn. Furthermore driver training was chosen jointly by 6° and their local partner New Sadle to showcase that women can choose any profession they want as long as they have the drive, ambition and support, and in doing so can start breaking stereotypical social and cultural barriers. Through hard work and perseverance and given the opportunity these women can become successful and independent drivers with an earning potential increase of about 65% more than what they currently earn (NPR 10,000-15,000 = Euro 80-120 per month).
ON 1 OCTOBER 2019 THE PROJECT WAS OFFICIALLY CLOSED OFF
Project Status
1 OCTOBER 2019
The project was officially closed off on 1 October 2019. In total, 4 candidates out of 10 completed the programme and obtained their license. The summary of the project can be found here.
JUNE 2019
Sabina Magar passed her exam. Together with New Sadle we will discuss the way forward.
Sandhya with her driving exam result
MAY 2019
Sandhya with her driving exam result
Our third candidate, Sandhya, passed her exam. We are really proud of her and together with New Sadle we will discuss the way forward.
APRIL 2019
Our other seven candidates are at various stages of passing their theory exams and are waiting to apply for their practical exams this year. With New Sadle we are exploring employment and other opportunities for these candidates.
10 FEBRUARY 2019
MINA AND MIRA: OUR FIRST TWO SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES
Mina and Mira passed the driving exam
In Kathmandu, our first two candidates, Mina and Mira, passed their practical exam.
Mina and Mira passed the driving exam
They are now waiting to obtain their driver’s licenses which can take up to 7 months to be processed so that they can start working. We are working together with our local partner New Sadle to find a job for them.
Regrettably, one of our candidates quit the training programme early on in the project.
23 DECEMBER 2018
Debbie and Gita met with the trainees at Boudha Stupa to discuss the current status of their training and the progress moving forward. With all trainees present they discussed the challenges they faced with the practical exam, who really wanted to try for their exam again and wanted work as a driver.
APRIL - SEPTEMBER 2018
Our candidates had their practical driving training and theoretical lessons including health and safety and hospitality. They are preparing for the written and practical exams physically, mentally and emotionally.
FEBRUARY - MARCH 2018
Our local partner New Sadle identified 10 candidates based on each individual’s motivation level and home situation and selected a driving school.
15 FEBRUARY 2018
Start of our first pilot project to train 10 women to become professional drivers in Kathmandu.
Objectives
The pilot project aims to train a group of 10 women to learn how to drive with an 80% minimum completion rate and equivalent job placement percentage. If the pilot project is successful, the driving training programme will become a part of 6°'s permanent training curriculum. We further aim to increase the annual income by 100% within 5 years.
Funding
Our first fundraising event was held in December 2017 at the ENMS Montessori school in The Hague, Netherlands as part of their Christmas charity project. Along with donations made by the families of 6°, we successfully raised a total of EUR 6,000.
The funds raised will cover the cost of EUR 500 per candidate which includes driving lessons, certification, health and safey and hospitality training, employment identification, placement, monitoring and support. The additional funds will be used as a contingency or rolled over to the next driving training project.
Meet the candidates
Meet some of the candidates from the pilot project sharing their stories and their hope for the future and see them in action learning how to drive. Learn more about them and their personal stories in our blog.