Region 2 residents receive cash grants to start businesses

The residents of Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) who have registered for WIIN and are qualified for the Empowerment Fund on Tuesday each received their grant of $50,000.
This grant, made available through a collaboration between the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) and the Human Services and Social Security Ministry (MHSSS), is aimed at assisting young people to start businesses.
Parsram Singh, an official of the MHSSS, has said that those who collected the grant have each met the criteria set out by the World Food Programme. These include being a single parent, unemployed, persons living with disabilities, being affected by the recent flood, and living in a single-parent home.

One of the beneficiaries, Divine Ross, expressing how elated she was to receive the grant, declared that she intends to start her small business.
“Since I finished school, I always want to own my business. I always plan to open an internet cafe in the future, and with the empowerment one-off cash grant from the Ministry and World Food Programme, I am now motivated to buy a better working printer,” she expressed.

Another beneficiary, Susan Betancourt, also expressed gratitude to the Ministry and the World Food Programme for the grant. She added that, with the one-off cash grant, she would be able to purchase the necessary furniture in order to start her business.

“I’ve completed the graphic design course, and I didn’t regret it at all. Upon completing my course, waiting on my certificate, I decided to go small so as to open a printery. I had my computer for a number of years now, and a printer…all I have to get is my desktop table and a few shelves to just open the business. I want to thank the Minister and her partners for such initiative.” Betancourt told Guyana Times.