Forty-four complete Self Reliance and Success in Business workshop
Georgetown, Guyana – (April 28, 2017)
First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, today, attended the closing ceremony of the Self-Reliance and Success in Business workshop in Mahaica-Berbice (Region Five) at the Regional Board Room, Fort Wellington, Berbice.
The First Lady, in her remarks praised the participants for committing to 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.
Mrs Granger 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, and other institutions…and you will have their full support.”
Invited guest speaker, Ms. Janice Whyte who is an expenditure planning and management analyst attached to the Regional Democratic Council gave the participants words of guidance on having a successful business by implementing what they would have learned during the course of the workshop. “Do what you know [and] do what you like best. What you get out of your business, will be what you put into that business…Take what you do seriously and grow,” Ms. Whyte said.
Additionally, Mr. Yohann Sanjay Pooran, Facilitator at Interweave Solutions Incorporated, who gave a brief overview of what the workshop entailed, 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 one group will focus on drainage and irrigation.
Mr. Pooran proudly spoke on the accomplishment of the participants. “I anticipate that there will be forty-four strong entrepreneurs coming out of this area… [You] have bright ideas and I’m sure that you will take those ideas to the next level,” Mr. Pooran said.
This event marks the fifteenth session of its kind; to date over 300 persons have been trained under this programme. The training sessions are a collaborative effort between the Office of the First Lady, the Ministry of Social Protection and Interweave Solutions Incorporated.
The participants were eager to share their experiences having completed the training. “I realised that with my small business [and] the little that I gained here, I would definitely to improve my business,” small business owner, Ms. Ambrozine Thomas, said.
Mabelene McDonald who does knitting said that she plans on implementing what she has learned to successfully manage her business. Additionally, Ms. 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.”
The event was also attended by Member of Parliament Ms. Jennifer Wade, Deputy Regional Executive Officer of Region Five, Mr. Govind Singh and several other regional officials.
