Human Services Minister Priya Manickchand yesterday launched “Feminition,” a Women’s Exposition scheduled for next month to showcase products targeted for women or produced by women for women.
“Too often, because we have these traditional roles we are seen in and the new emerging one such as domestic violence or victims of other forms of violence, we don’t get to see the beauty of women, the beautiful side of women, what they are capable of… we don’t get to see the artistic work women are capable of and do and we don’t get to see the different capacity that women can act,” Manickchand said.
Women producers are going to be given the chance to exhibit their wares and people who make products targeted towards women will also be exhibiting their products, the minister said.
So far, a hundred persons have committed to exhibit at the event. “It is going to be a jam-packed agenda. We have a concert that is being organised by our committee. It is going to be all female artistes,” Manickchand stated. There is also a fashion show slated for the weekend of activities.
“This would be the place if you want to sell your products to women or if you want to show your products to women, this would be the place to exhibit it,” the Minister added. “We wanted to make this not feminine but creative…. Stop for a moment and think how would you define a woman? Whatever you can define a woman to be, you’ll see concepts of that definition at ‘Feminition,’” she stated.
Some of the objectives of the event, which was conceived when the Women Of Worth (WOW) loan plan was launched last year in June, are: to create or stimulate employment ideas for some unemployed; highlight the existence and work of various women and stakeholder groups; and to stimulate a drive for women’s entrepreneurship. Persons wishing to set up an exhibit at the event can contact the Feminition Secretariat on telephone number 227-6990 or email feminitionwomenexposition@gmail.com.
The expo will be hosted at the National Stadium on May 27, May 28 and May 29.
WOW, a
year later
Meanwhile, Shaliza Shaw head of the Credit and Corporate Services department of the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) provided an update on the WOW initiative. “To date, I must say it has been very successful and we are continually overwhelmed with applications,” she said.
“The bank has approved and disbursed 781 loans with the total value of $154M. A further 89 loans have been approved and are pending disbursal. GBTI has committed a total sum of $500M to the WOW loan programme so there is room for more women to benefit,” Shaw stated.
She further added, “It is our fervent wish that beneficiaries of WOW will in the medium to long term reach a position of stability and profitability that would allow them to migrate out of this category of lending.”
This loan plan is geared to aid and accelerate the impact of micro-financing eligible to single mothers. This loan plan is collateral free and is being offered at a low interest rate of 6 percent per annum. Loan amounts vary from $100,000 to $250,000 with a repayment period of 24 months.
“As a corporate financial institution, GBTI recognises its corporate responsibility to aid growth in industry by providing financing charitable business entities and individuals so as to engender entrepreneurship that will both stimulate and enhance the healthy growth of our nation,” said Shaw.
