Minister Persaud takes WIIN initiative to Region Seven

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, MP, continues her quest to empower women across the country, through the Women’s Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN).

On Monday, the Minister spearheaded an outreach to Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), where she encouraged women to become entrepreneurs.  

“The ‘W’, women and win, start to finish, commit to finish the programme, so that when you are finished you can use this accredited certificate to be employed. More than that, I want you to start thinking about owning your own businesses, you can do that individually, you can do that as a group, however you choose to do it we are here to support you on that journey,” the Minister told the women atthe St. John the Baptist Primary School.

Since the launch of the accredited programme earlier this year, some 4,000 women have registered, benefitting from a range of courses, online or in person.

Under the WIIN initiative the country’s first business incubator and WIIN app was launched to provide women with a platform to start and network their businesses.

“The app allows you to put your business, all women on to this one platform. So, that everyone in and out of Guyana can access your business at no cost to you, all you have to do is register with us. You can promote special sales; you can advertise whatever component of your business you want through the app. It is about linking our women entrepreneurs across Guyana.”

The business incubator provides knowledge and support to fledgling businesses.                                                                                                             

“The incubator at the Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute (GWLI) is available to all women across the country. If you have a product and you want to know how to package it, how to market it, how to find source funding to get yourself on your feet we are going to help you with that.”

The programmes provided under the WIIN initiative include; professional care (patient, child and elderly), nutrition, garment construction and various dimensions of Information and Communications Technology. Each course has a business component, which provides persons with the knowledge of running their own businesses.

Additionally, women interested can access the training programme, business incubator or app, online on the ministry’s website or in- person at GWLI’s office at Cove and John, East Coast Demerara.