First Lady Sandra Granger on Friday attended the closing ceremony of the Self-Reliance and Success in Business workshop in Mahaica-Berbice (Region Five) from which 44 persons graduated.
A release from the Ministry of the Presidency said that the event was held in the Regional Board Room, Fort Wellington, Berbice.
The First Lady praised the participants for successfully completing the training and believing in themselves. “You are the people who make these workshops possible and successful. It starts with you believing in yourself first and in your capacity to do things and move on and develop [by] believing in lifelong education,” Mrs. Granger said.
The First Lady also noted the importance of having a recognised certificate backed by strong business entrepreneurial skills. “One of the benefits from this project is that Interweave stays with you… the certificate you have gained is a certificate that is recognised by the Small Business Bureau, by IPED (Institute of Private Enterprise Development), and other institutions…and you will have their full support.”
Guest speaker, Janice Whyte, an expenditure planning and management analyst attached to the Regional Democratic Council gave the participants words of guidance on running a successful business by implementing what they would have learned during the course of the workshop, the release said.
Yohann Sanjay Pooran, Facilitator at Interweave Solutions Incorporated, who gave a brief overview of what the workshop encompassed, noted that a total of four groups have been formed between participants in the workshop.
Three groups plans to tackle social issues affecting their communities, such as unemployment, domestic violence and teenage pregnancy while the other will focus on drainage and irrigation.
The graduation marks the fifteenth session of its kind; to date over 300 persons have been trained under this programme. The training sessions are a collaboration between the Office of the First Lady, the Ministry of Social Protection and Interweave Solutions Incorporated.
The participants were eager to share their experiences, the release said. “I realised that with my small business [and] the little that I gained here, I would definitely to improve my business,” small business owner, Ambrozine Thomas, said.
Mabelene McDonald who does knitting said that she plans on implementing what she has learned to successfully run her business. Odella Peters said “This workshop is very beneficial for us, since a lot of women in Region Five are not exposed nor fully equipped, this programme has helped us out a lot.”
