“We Lift 3” an opportunity to level playing field for women in Guyana – Persaud

“We Lift 3”, the largest women-led business exhibition in Guyana, opened on Saturday at the MovieTowne Parking Lot in a continued effort by the Human Services and Social Security Ministry to advance the work of businesswomen across the country. 
“We are looking comprehensively at how we can create a level playing field for women from the point of education [and] training to the actual point of being a very independent person who can have her own business and be the boss,” Dr Vindhya Persaud said at the event’s opening ceremony.
This year’s edition of the two-day event sees over 200 businesses being showcased, a step up from the first year which displayed 75 businesses and “We Lift 2” which included over 170 businesses.
Described as an “eclectic market”, “We Lift 3” showcases a wide range of businesses, from food and skincare to artwork and jewellery, with the sponsors of the event, including Nations Inc and ExxonMobil, also displaying their services.
“Here, the participants will network with other women and business owners, share ideas and build relationships to help grow their businesses, [gain] greater brand exposure and increase their visibility among potential customers and investors [and] receive access to valuable resources and information to help them develop their businesses,” said Mignon Bowen-Phillips, Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretariat representative.
“But most importantly, they will inspire and empower other women to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams and provide them with the support and resources they need to succeed,” she added.
In January 2022, Ashmin Brathwaite established Glamp Camp Luxury Events initially as a means to offer a luxurious outdoor event experience to clients through her signature luxury picnics. As her business grew over the past year, she expanded to offer event planning, event decor and balloon decor.
“I actually have a Business Management degree and a Marketing Master’s but I wanted to do something with my hands and this type of business allowed me to do that and it just gives me so much satisfaction after I’m finished to see something that is so beautiful,” Brathwaite said.
The first-time We Lift exhibitor intends on using this opportunity to receive more exposure and customers. “I’m here at We Lift 3 to meet new clientele and get more people to learn about the business,” Brathwaite expressed.

Excited
A We Lift-returnee, Seema Taraman of Artsy Craft is excited to be back following her successful experience at We Lift 2 that exposed her to many new clients.
Taraman specialises in soy candles, reed diffusers, string arts and string lanterns, with her candles being the focal point of her booth at this year’s event.
“Most of the candles that are readily available in the supermarket are made from a very harmful wax that is called paraffin [which] cases show, leads to a lot of health-related issues like cancer, respiratory problems and so forth,” Taraman said.
“I wanted to introduce a safer alternative which would be soy-based candles so I would say this is my solution to a problem not a lot of people know about,” she said, adding that expanding to produce string arts and lanterns was born out of her love to create.
Displaying locally created jewellery, miniature sculptures and wooden craft, Varshinie Singh represents Kids First Fund, a charity dedicated to providing medical and general assistance to children, adults and animals across the country.
“Basically, we kind of do the running around so patients don’t have to find the right doctors [or] get the right institution,” Singh explained.

While Singh made some of the jewellery on display at the charity’s booth, she credited artists and women from Rupununi for creating the balata art pieces and seed jewellery, respectively, and Region 10’s (Upper Demerara-Berbice) Irene Bacchus for producing the wooden pieces.
“It’s our first year [at We Lift and] we want to promote what we’re doing and how people can help us and also to promote the work of our artisans who can’t be here,” Singh said. “We buy this stuff from them and we sell it so people can be supporting their livelihood and helping to make a difference by supporting our charity as well.”
To assist the charity, Singh advised customers to buy their unique souvenir items at the Collage Store on Sheriff Street, donate items from their wish list, publicise their activities to family and friends, sign up to be a volunteer and donate in cash or kind.
With many more businesses on display and open to explore, the Human Services Minister encouraged the public to attend “We Lift 3” today from 11:00 am to 18:30h.