Women are the bedrock of Guyana’s transformation with many taking on opportunities to strive, President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali said as he launched the Newborn Cash Grant initiative on Saturday.
With the launching ceremony being held on International Women’s Day, the head of state highlighted the tangible progress made by women in the last four years – a result of deliberate investments, support, policies and programmes.
The government has directly and indirectly, invested $156 billion, towards women empowerment initiatives.
For instance, Guyana’s Agriculture Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme has surpassed its ambitious goal of 35 per cent women ownership for new agribusinesses, defying initial skepticism. As a matter of fact, President Ali announced that an impressive 65 per cent of these ventures are now owned and led by women.
This success is exemplified at the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA), where women comprised 50 per cent of the latest graduating class, with 222 female graduates earning their qualifications.
“These are the stats that tell the story of the role women are playing in our society. And as I said, it did not happen by accident…These are the stories that are not told. This is how the government is working for you,” President Ali declared.
Not only are women thriving in the agriculture sector, but they have been empowered with education opportunities though an investment of more than $30 billion in the last four years.
For instance, of the 9,000 who completed the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) programme, 7,000 of them were women, reflecting their significant contributions to the nation’s development.
Women are also taking on roles in the technical field, with 10,000 of them graduating from various technical institutions across Guyana. Additionally, almost 60 per cent of women have received scholarships through the Hinterland Scholarship Programme.
Women are also playing a critical role in educating the nation’s future as of the 4,600 teachers recently graduated, over 4,000 are women.
“This demonstrates our nation’s profound dependence on the women of our country. Therefore, we must protect them, heal them, show them compassion, embrace them, encircle them with love, lift them up, and honor them. Women carry the burden of our future on their shoulders, making immense sacrifices and investing in our nation’s progress. They are the vessels and assets that shape our future. Let us never take their invaluable work for granted,” the president emphasised.
Also, thousands of women have gained valuable skillsets to expand and prosper in their business ventures through the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security’s Women Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN) training programme.
The president said as Guyana continues on the path of transformation, investments will be directed to establish daycare facilities to provide essential support to professional women.
The Newborn cash grant is yet another transformative initiative aimed at empowering women. By providing $100,000 in monetary support, the government aims to lessen the financial burden faced by mothers and provide much-needed support in this crucial aspect of their lives.
President Ali concluded his speech by urging Guyanese to, “Celebrate women today. Let us celebrate women tomorrow. Let us give honour to women of yesterday. And let us understand as a nation, as a people, that… women in our society are the foundation on which this nation will stand and grow. And our duty as men is to protect that foundation, to nurture that foundation, and to safeguard that foundation.”
Also attending the launching event at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre were the Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony and Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond. (Department of Public Information)
