First Lady, Sandra Granger, on Friday morning, presented certificates to 48 participants from the village of Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara and its surrounding environs, who successfully completed the one-week course of work of the 27th Self Reliance and Success in Business Workshop.
The graduating class is the largest group to complete the course to date and the First Lady, speaking at the simple graduation ceremony held at the Ebenezer Congregational Church, encouraged them to continue to take advantage of training opportunities, which can help to empower them to create lucrative opportunities for themselves and the development of their communities, according to a media release from the Ministry of the Presidency (MoP).
“[The workshops], since its implementation have been and remain in high demand across the nation, which tells me that women are interested in moving on and becoming self-confident, self-sufficient and self-reliant about themselves, both in the economic sense and in the personal sense because the beauty of this project is that it focuses on your entire life as a person; as a person in a community and as a business woman,” Granger was quoted as saying.
According to the MoP release, Granger noted that while her office plans to take the workshop to other communities across the country, it has received a request from more than 40 other residents for another workshop which she hopes to make a reality once the necessary resources can be secured. In addition to the workshop, the First Lady said that the Small Business Bureau works closely with her office and the facilitators to provide the participants with the relevant information on
marketing practices, packaging and the accessing of grants and loans from the Ministry of Business.
According to the release, Yohann Sanjay Pooran, Facilitator at Interweave Solutions Incorporated, who gave a brief overview of what the workshop entailed, said that the certificates given to successful participants are recognised by most financial institutions throughout Guyana.
“We have had hundreds of women graduating from this programme, which caters for holistic development. You are now equipped with the relevant set of skills in record keeping, in leadership, management, promotion, marketing, that will help you to grow smart, effective, efficient and successful small businesses. That is 48 potential new businesses in the areas of Bee Hive, Mahaica and Ann’s Grove and I want you to think about the economic implications for the lower East Coast,” Pooran was quoted as saying.
Several of the graduates expressed gratitude to the First Lady for providing them with the opportunity to participate in the workshop and expressed enthusiasm about their plans, the statement said.
Keswick Kelroy Barry, a resident of Ann’s Grove and the owner of a mini-mart, was quoted as saying, “I have learnt so much, especially the six P’s [Price, Product, Plan, Promotion, Paperwork and Place] of Business [that] I haven’t been doing but having come to this forum, I can now apply the six P`s to my business.”
The completion of this training brings the total number of beneficiaries to 1,178 while 50 persons have been trained and certified as Trainers of Trainers to date.
