The Women’s Affairs Bureau (WAB) recently donated sewing machines to more than 20 Amerindian women in Region Eight to enable them to earn a livelihood.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release the WAB of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, in collaboration with the Social Impact Amelioration Programme donated the machines to women at Mahdia and Micobie.
Region Eight Regional Executive Officer Ishwar Dass said the machines will help the women to boost their standard of living. The women, most of whom are single parents, will teach other women to sew thereby creating jobs.
According to GINA, last year 29 Amerindian women from the Deep South and South Central communities of Region Nine participated in a six-week certificate sewing programme in Lethem. This initiative, a collaboration by the WAB, the Basic Needs Trust Fund and the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development saw several NGOs donating 25 sewing machines to some communities.
The women were taught to cut and measure and to do artistic applications such as tie-dye and batik. Foreign Minister, Carolyn Rodrigues, who at the time was in charge of Amerindian affairs, provided the raw materials for the training during a visit to the region.
