Former Colombian refugee is able to fulfil her dream of learning to drive

Wednesday, 26 May 2021

Martha Orobio said she has been able to put her dream of driving into reality.

A former Colombian refugee is now able to fulfil her dream of learning to drive now that she is living in Southland.

When Martha Orobio arrived to Invercargill in 2019, she realised how essential driving was to daily life.

“ … You’ve got kids to pick up from school, you’ve got the cold bad weather of Invercargill and all those things to keep in mind,” she said.

“In my city I didn’t really have the need to learn to drive. And people that had cars were of a quite high class, but I have always in my heart have wanted to drive.”

**READ MORE:

Former refugees getting taught the road code by their bilingual teacher. From left: Sulay Sānchez, Simon Butler, Vivian Valencia, Martha Orobio, Eugenia Pinto, Enderson Sandoval.

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English Language Partners New Zealand [ELPNZ] offer a free nationwide programme for former refugees to study the theory for their learner’s licence test.

The ESOL [English for speakers of other languages] Road Code course runs for six weeks and there are 30 hours of teaching.

Orobio completed the course two months ago and now has her learner’s licence.

She is on a wait list to receive practical driving lessons to earn her restrictive driver’s licence.

ELPNZ Southland manager Nalini Varghese said the programme had been running since May 2019 in Invercargill.

It has successfully helped 55 refugees pass their tests and receive their learner’s licence, she said.

The fee for the tests is paid for by the programme, funded through the Tertiary Education Commission.

After partaking in 30 hours of lessons that covers the whole road code, the students have to go through six hours of lessons with Drive My Life Taraiwa Mataora, which is a requirement to get the test paid for by ELPNZ.

Tuesday was Sulay Sānchez’s last class with ELPNZ, and she said she felt happy to complete the course.

“I feel really good because it’s another achievement in my life,” Sānchez said.

Drive My Life Taraiwa Mataora is also contracted for the Open Road Programme in Invercargill by the Hamilton Multicultural Services Trust, funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

The Open Road Programme help refugees get behind the wheel for practical lessons, as well as paying for the restrictive tests.

ESOL Road Code course will be allowing migrants to take the course from August, but they will need to pay for it themselves.

Red Cross has been settling former refugees from Colombia in Invercargill since 2018.