Rural women will have access to training to obtain a driving license
The Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP) presented the Women at the Wheel program, the first stage of which will begin to be implemented in the department of Colonia. The initiative will train women linked to agriculture so that they can obtain a driver’s license. The general director of the portfolio, Fernanda Maldonado, said that the goal is to provide tools that promote the economic autonomy of rural women.
The program, which will begin to be implemented in Colonia, will offer training to women living in rural areas on driving, so that they can take the test to obtain a driver’s license. If they pass, the document will be given to them free of charge.
Maldonado explained that the ministry decided to extend the initiative to the entire country, after having carried out a favorable evaluation of the pilot experience that was developed in Rocha with 14 women linked to artisanal fishing. “We thought that we had to continue investing in this because of how it changed their lives,” he said.
The MGAP seeks to promote the economic autonomy of rural women. According to Maldonado, the pilot plan showed that access to the ration book “changed the economic equation of their businesses a lot.” In addition to Colonia, it will be extended to Cerro Largo, Tacuarembó and Durazno, she said.
The initiative is part of the National Gender Plan in Agricultural Policies, which seeks to reduce gender inequalities in the sector. To date, more than 7,000 interventions of various kinds have been carried out throughout the country, involving more than 55 institutions, she reported.
The training is carried out in coordination with the departmental government, the Unidos para Ayudar organization and private sector companies.
