Seventy-one young entrepreneurs who were trained under the Hinterland Employment Youth Service (HEYS) programme, received $50,000 Stimulus Grants on Monday to support their businesses.
The disbursements were made at the St. Ignatius Village Benab.
A release from the Department of Public Information (DPI) related that the recipients were drawn from 10 villages in the South Central, Central and North Rupununi areas, and were all persons who successfully completed training under the HEYS programme before going on to establish businesses in cattle and chicken rearing, honey production, food preparation, retail and ICT.
Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock, in his address, said that in order to ensure that the established businesses grow in strength and flourish, this year $100 million was approved for monitoring, mentoring, and additional monetary support.
“So, we didn’t just leave you, we recognise that you need that encouragement and so we are here to deliver,” he stated.
“You were given the opportunity, some of you didn’t finish school, but with our support, you now have a job and support your family. This is what we as a government would like to do,” the minister said in reference to two testimonials delivered by recipients.
One of those testimonies was given by pig rearer Darius Fernandes, of Hiawa Village, who dropped out of school at the age of 14 as his parents could not afford to send him.
He soon after began earning an income to assist his family, and Fernandes, not being one to “let his circumstances hinder his dream of making a prosperous future for himself”, grabbed at the chance to participate in the HEYS programme when the opportunity arose. He received training in leadership and business management.
Using the start-up funds he received at the end of the one-year training course, Fernandes began his business with seven pigs. He, along with his sister, now own 27 pigs. They sell their livestock to residents in and around the village.
“I was lost, no idea of what I wanted to do, but then came the HEYS. This programme really helped me a lot and I would like to thank the government for this opportunity for the young Indigenous peoples,” Fernandes said.
The supplementary funds will be used by Fernandes to expand his business.
Marline McDonald, also a school dropout, hails from Parishara Village.
McDonald used her funds at the end of the training to construct a shop, where she
sells groceries and provides seamstress services.
“I want to touch every field in business, sometimes you will see (me) at my shop and you will see me at the sports ground selling snacks and then you will see me on my sewing machine. The programme has helped me a lot, and I would just like to thank the government for bringing this programme to us,” she told DPI.
DPI reported that the HEYS programme, launched in October, 2015, provided training for 4,000 hinterland youths and would lead to the creation of almost 2,000 small businesses. It was stated that in addition to the $30,000 monthly stipend which the participants received during the one-year programme, a $50,000 startup grant was given to students who are desirous of creating their own businesses, however, some of the youth opted to further their studies at the higher institute of learning on the coast.
The APNU+AFC Government has invested more than $2 billion in hinterland youth empowerment over the last three years, with close to $1 billion having been budgeted for the project in 2016. A further $991 million was allocated in 2017 and $982 million in 2018, DPI said.
