
Volunteers lifeline for driving training
A video filmed in Tanzania reveals why professional driver training volunteers are so vital to Transaid’s work improving road safety in East Africa, and provides an insight into life on the ground.
Transaid’s Professional Driver Training project is supported by a number of companies. In the video, which is filmed with support from Iveco, we see Neil Rettie, on a secondment from Stagecoach, Anna Chaplin, a management trainee from XPO Logistics, and John Heirs, construction training and compliance manager, from The Malcolm Group.
Road safety is a cause for concern in Tanzania and other East African countries, with traffic and crashes increasing daily. Neil Rettie says: “Driver training varies from country to country. Some countries it’s reasonably good, some countries it’s relatively undeveloped, and we’re trying to standardize that so the drivers are safe.”
Anna Chaplin, says: “At the moment there are no standardized exams, what can be taught to get a driving license and any country can become completely different to another country.”
Transaid has worked with National Institute of Training in East Africa to develop a standardized curriculum for bus and truck drivers. Neil adds: “This curriculum will play a major role in Tanzania but also in the other member states of East Africa.”
Professional driver training volunteers help Transaid provide solutions which make real improvements. If you are interested in hearing more about our collaborative approach, or in getting involved, please contact us: aggie@transaid.org