Minister of Human Services and Social Security Dr Vindhya Persaud has announced an initiative that is expected to produce over 200,000 face masks for countrywide distribution, while creating job opportunities for vulnerable groups that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the ministry, through the Garment and Accessories Cottage Industry Initiative, persons, especially those in the low income bracket, will be commissioned to sew over 200,000 masks that will be distributed countrywide, including to school, health and child care facilities. The initiative is due to be launched tomorrow.
Persaud is quoted in a statement issued by the ministry on Friday as saying that the mask project “is aimed at improving the livelihood of families by increasing their access to economic opportunities while sustaining a ready supply of increased demand for face masks throughout the 10 Administrative regions.”
She added, “The Ministry is inundated with persons who need financial assistance and this project allows some of these disadvantaged individuals to become gainfully employed.”
According to the statement, persons who can sew and have sewing machines in their possession can uplift application forms from any of the ministry’s security huts or the Regional Democratic Council offices countrywide. They can also be downloaded from the ministry’s website: https://mhsss.gov.gy/forms.html.
The deadline for the return of the application form is Friday, October 30, 2020 at 4pm. Those sent by the post must be addressed to Hymawattie Lagan, 1 Water and Cornhill Streets, Stabroek, while those sent via email can be addressed to hlagan136@gmail.com. Lagan can be reached at 672-1653 for further any further clarification, the ministry explained.
“Individuals who lost their income during the COVID-19 pandemic; individuals with disabilities; unemployed persons who head single parent households; victims of Gender-based Violence and Trafficking, and Women Groups are eligible to apply,” the ministry noted.