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Catholic Relief Services Ethiopia wins Driver Recognition Programme 2018

Updated: Oct 21, 2018


The top 12 humanitarian drivers in East and Southern Africa were celebrated over the weekend of September 14 – 15, while assessing their skills in their area of work during the 2018 Driver Recognition Programme.


The Driving Champions Final, which took place at Lukenya Getaway in Kenya over the weekend, attracted delegates in an effort to test the driving abilities and recognise the critical role drivers play in the last mile of programme delivery.


Click here to view the video with the highlights of the two days.


Ermias Sitotaw from Catholic Relief Services Ethiopia scored the most points and was therefore titled the 2018 Driver Champion. Ermias won a prize of 500 USD and was extremely proud of this accomplishment.

Second place was awarded to Frank Yusuf from Save the Children in Malawi. The Third place went to John Kimoto of World Vision Kenya.


Like last year, Fleet Forum also awarded: Best Teamwork for the driver and manager who collaborated well to tackle the challenges presented. Female driver Ayelech Abate and her co-driver Yisehak Zerihun of Mercy Corps were the proud winners of this award.


“Despite their critical role in delivery of aid, drivers often go unrecognised. By facilitating this programme, Fleet Forum aims to provide the aid and development community with a useful tool to engage and recognise their drivers” says Nikita Udhwani, Fleet Forum Programme Manager.


World Vision, Fleet Forum’s long-time partner, was the Humanitarian Host for the final event. Aside from the strong commitment of World Vision, several organisations stepped in to sponsor the programme, notably UPS, Toyota Gibraltar Stockholdings, Terramar Networks and Heritage Insurance. It is through their unwavering support that Fleet Forum is able to facilitate such an event.


Humanitarian organisations like WFP, World Vision, UNICEF, Mercy Corps, Marie Stopes, Catholic Relief Services and several more participated. At the start of the programme in February, over 700 drivers from mulitple organisations in 13 African countries registered. Between February and May, Fleet Forum worked with the country and senior management of each organisation to identify their best driver, who then participated in the final event.


Each driver was accompanied by a senior representative of the same organisation, who served as a ‘co-driver’, encouraging and cheering on for their drivers. Through a range of challenges, drivers were assessed on their road safety, health and driving knowledge as well as their ability to operate a vehicle in strenuous conditions.


Fleet Forum launched this programme in 2015 with tremendous support from the UPS Foundation and FIA Foundation.



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