Women urged to be involved in community’s development

..as 7th Self Reliance in Business workshop completed

Thirty-four women representing 34 villages along the Essequibo Coast can now consider themselves budding business gurus after successfully completing the 7th training session of the Self Reliance and Success in Business workshop. The training was done in the Regional boardroom in Anna Regina, Essequibo, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

First Lady Sandra Granger speaking at the graduation ceremony, told the women, “I hope that at the end of it (the workshop) you will not only have gained much from the knowledge and advice imparted by our facilitators, but also in the friendships you may have built through your experiences as you engaged in learning a bit more about setting up, establishing and running a successful business.  I am very happy to know once more that we exceeded our target number of participants.”

Yohann Pooran, facilitator of Interweave Solutions Incorporated, the facilitating agency, advised the women that with a strong business plan and having a clear outline of their business they can be successful business owners and help with the development in their communities:

“As we move forward with the implementation of the six P’s [Planning, Paperwork, Products, Promotion, Price, and Process] of business, our community-oriented approach to action and our emphasis on creating a good quality of life in your homes, and I believe we’re contributing to the exercise of establishing a sound and solid village economy, which helps everyone.”

The trainer also urged the women to be more actively involved in the development of their community: “Get involved! It may be in politics, it may be in the social realm, in some community organisation that already exists…We hope to see all of these women…in a couple of months…become leaders of good, strong, small enterprises in Region Two.  This group of thirty plus women can transform the local regional economy. You have the power to do that.”

One of the beneficiaries of the training session, Vaniessa Granville said that the gesture made by First Lady Granger and Interweave Solutions Incorporated has provided a great depth of knowledge for the women: “My charge to us is to look for the good in each other, put aside our differences, face the challenges together and let’s move forward together and let progress continue.”

Together, the women have also formed three groups within their workshops to focus on the eradication of some of the social issues faced in their communities; Women Empowerment, will focus on school drop outs, Rising to Status, will focus on women’s empowerment and self-reliance, and Hinterland Women’s Development Association, will also focus on school drop-outs.