What did lockdown mean for our mum drivers?
Living through lockdown has been tough for our female drivers because they are daily workers. When Sri Lanka went into lockdown their income abruptly ceased. Schools and work places closed so there were no hires and daily curfews meant that tuk tuks were not allowed on the road.
The situation rapidly became desperate. Our driver Mums told us 'we would rather die from Covid than from hunger'.
Drivers to the rescue - emergency Covid 19 support
The Rosie May Foundation was able to provide a lifeline to our single mum drivers by providing food parcels each month to feed their families and extended families. Our Think Pink drivers helped distribute food to other local families alongside police escorts and enabled us to feed over 1,000 people during lockdown.
Easing out of lockdown
As schools reopened and people started returning to work our drivers were able to get back on the road providing Covid safe journeys for women and children. They are still not able to work to full capacity as hires have decreased because of the is a rise in unemployment post Covid and very few tourists.
Our trainee drivers have now resumed their lessons and have started practice driving with our experienced mentor drivers. It will take time to recover from the impact of the pandemic, as it will globally, however our women drivers are determined to come through this stronger and more resiliant than before.
The future is Pink.
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