If you have a job in Venezuela–where the unemployment rate could reach 25% this year–you may still not be able to afford basic necessities. In October, a one-kilo package of pasta cost around 56,000 bolivares, or a little more than 40% of the monthly minimum wage; a large package of diapers cost more than three times the monthly salary. As the country’s economy continues to collapse, one startup is helping Venezuelans learn new digital skills that can help them land remote work that can pay in bitcoin or U.S. dollars–or help them emigrate to find tech jobs elsewhere.

Platzi, an ed-tech startup and Y Combinator alum focused on the Latin American market, began offering scholarships to Venezuelans in May 2017, following two earlier trials in the country. “Our main goal is to transform the economies of Latin America from economies that are based on manufacturing and exporting natural resources into economies that export technology and human talent,” says Freddy Vega, Platzi CEO. “In Venezuela, we do something different and a little bit more special.”

After someone passes a basic programming course, retaking the exam as many times as necessary–and after they prove that they live in Venezuela–they can access the startup’s 120 courses in digital marketing, interactive design, or programming for free. (In other Latin American countries, the classes are available for a low cost, typically under $1 a day.) To date, 1,000 Venezuelans have earned scholarships. Once someone is ready to find a job, Platzi helps connect them with work as front-end and back-end developers, mobile app developers, and other positions.

Roughly half of the platform’s students focus on learning to code. When someone completes a series of courses and finds work with companies outside Venezuela, they typically are paid via Paypal or in bitcoin. Though it’s not possible to use dollars at the grocery store or to pay rent, the money can be used more creatively.

“What they do with the money is super smart,” Vega says. “If they get Paypal, they sell the Paypal U.S. dollars to people that need them when they try to migrate out of the country. If they get bitcoin, they use it internally. Venezuela is one of the most bitcoin-ized economies in the world, because of necessity.”

Others use the money for savings, as inflation makes the local currency virtually worthless. “I mostly use this income as savings, in order to not lose the value of the money over time,” says Julio Yepez, who decided to take Platzi’s courses after he started struggling to find enough local work as an IT consultant. He now works on mobile app projects, graphic design, and UX/UI development on Freelancer.com.

Some of the first students to take the scholarships had a background in technology, but the range has expanded to include anyone looking for work. Trained veterinarians and lawyers have signed up, along with students who have no more than a high school education, and mothers who need work that they can do from home.