“Women can leave stage of dependence to a stage of independence” – Persaud

…as 450 persons graduate from WIIN programme in Region 2

Four hundred and fifty persons in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), who participated in short courses under the Women’s Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN) programme by the Human Services and Social Security Ministry, were presented with their certificates on Wednesday.
Region Two scored the highest percentage in the country, as residents who registered responded resoundingly with 93 per cent, while the pass rate upon completing the training is 96 per cent. Trainees received certificates in patient care, child care, administrative assistant, introduction to Microsoft Office suite, and essentials of graphic design.
Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud, during her feature address, expressed a desire to see continued progress in Essequibo, and would be doing everything possible to have women and girls empowered and financially independent not only in the region but across the country.

“WIIN is not an acronym that was chosen lightly. WIIN was chosen, because it represents everything that I wanted for women to see for themselves… The ability to cross the finish line and the ability at the end of that journey to say I am perseverant, committed and I am accomplished,” the Minister explained.
She added that when the programme was conceptualised, the main aim was for participants to leave the programme feeling empowered and with a creditable certificate that held value around the world.
Dr Persaud said that the Human Services and Social Security Ministry was investing in women because she believed that women could move from the stage of dependence to a stage of independence by becoming more confident in themselves.
Meanwhile, she also took the opportunity to congratulate the now empowered and successful women and girls for their effort and time in participating in the technical vocational training programme.
WIIN is being rolled out through the Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute (GWLI) and Senior Training Officer Sanjay Pooran ,who noted that the courses in Essequibo had an extremely positive impact on those who attended the classes.
Even though the courses lasted for just five days, the participants were well equipped to practice what they have learnt by the end. “WIIN is no mistake… Every aspect even down to the content of the course outline for the courses were viewed intensively by Minister [Persaud] to ensure quality and content,” Pooran told the girls and women.
Although WIIN targets women and girls, the team in Region Two did not restrict males from joining the programmes. Men and boys who graduated from the WIIN programme were full of excitement and enthusiasm when their names were called to receive their certificates.
During an interview with one of the awardees, Ashley Singh, she noted that she learnt about the courses through social media and decided to enrol since she was not employed.
“I enrolled because I’m not working and tired applying and getting turned down… However, I saw the courses on Facebook and applied, and thank God I got through. With this certificate I got, I am sure it will assist me in the future,” Singh said.
WIIN can be accessed both online and in-person across the country and seeks to provide women and girls with economic benefits, along with an enabling environment to help them boost their self-confidence and individuality.
WIIN will also include the provision of functional, business, social, and legislative literacy, and will cover areas in anger management, emotional intelligence, coping mechanisms, as well as information on support systems from the Ministry.
Attending the graduation were Regional Chairperson Vilma De Silva; Regional Vice Chairman Humace Oodit, Prime Ministerial Representative Arnold Adams, GWLI Senior Training Officer Sanjay Pooran and Parasram Singh. (G14)