COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Nov. 11, 2021) Seven women who are among the 15 graduates of a driving school in Honduras funded by Food For The Poor donors are on the road to obtaining well-paying jobs as truck drivers to support their families.
The women recently completed four months of training at the Puerto Cortes Transportation School.
Before FFTP donors provided scholarships for their schooling, many of the women were forced to drop out to work temporary jobs to make ends meet.
They lost out on opportunities to earn a decent income because they lacked the required certification to obtain a job driving a truck.
Sayli, 24, said the Women’s Empowerment Scholarship secures the hope of a brighter future for her young son by giving her to skills needed for a new livelihood.
“I am currently unemployed,” she said. “This is an opportunity to learn something new and obtain a job. I know it will not be easy, but it will help me support my son. Thank you to the good-hearted donors for backing us on this path.”
During the four-month training period, the scholarship provided each of the women with a $125 monthly stipend and a monthly food basket. The certification requires completion of more than 700 hours of coursework, including time and training on the road with a certified driver, and classes in computer skills, first aid and CPR, and human development.
Certified drivers in Honduras can earn about $700 a month, well above the minimum wage of $375 per month.
“These proud women are finishing school, obtaining good jobs as truck drivers and using their skills to take their families out of poverty,” FFTP Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer Mark Khouri said. “This project is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which ensure that women are given the same economic opportunities as men.”
FFTP donors fund scholarships through two programs – the Women’s Empowerment Scholarship and another one provided to men and women.
The charity marked International Women’s Day in March by spotlighting the Puerto Cortes Transportation School and the effort to provide scholarships to enable women to complete the training at the school.
CEPUDO, the charity’s longtime trusted in-country partner, is managing the project.
The school has certified 35 women, and 13 more are in the process of certification. Of the 35 women who have already completed their schooling, 21 are already working.
The demand for certified drivers for buses and trucks is growing in Honduras, as roads have been improved.
The Honduran National Institute of Statistics estimates that Honduras experiences a shortage of more than 5,000 certified truck drivers everyper year. As a result, trucks sit idle and trucking companies are unable to operate at full capacity.
Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry children and families living in poverty primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for vulnerable children, care for the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.
