First Lady Arya Ali has provided three business grants totalling $1,500,000 to three women to support the expansion of their small businesses.
The generous gesture was made in observance of International Women’s Day, according to a release from the Office of the First Lady.
The recipients of the grants were Saudia Edghill, 31, of Buxton, East Coast Demerara (ECD); Junice Welcome, 36, of Kuru Kururu on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway; and Bena Outar, 46, of Mahaicony, Mahaica-Berbice.
Outar specialises in the distribution of agrochemicals, while Welcome runs a daycare facility, and Edghill produces patriotic gift items.
The three women were participants in the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women’s HerVenture programme and Road to Growth training, which provides women with business development training.
This year, International Women’s Day is being observed under the theme “Accelerate Action.”
According to First Lady Arya Ali, this is precisely what she intends to do through her office.
“Accelerating action means speeding up our efforts to achieve gender parity, and part of that involves making direct investments in the lives of women to ensure they are empowered. We’ve seen a spate of domestic violence cases, some of which have ended in murder, and one of the root causes is that many of our women are not economically empowered. So, we are working aggressively to change that,” she stated.
The First Lady further explained that, in addition to financial support, technical assistance will also be provided to help the women scale and expand their businesses.
This support will come from business coaches Keon Smith and Upasna Mudlier of ActionCOACH.
She also encouraged the women to extend similar support to others who may seek employment or guidance in starting their own businesses.
“I hope that this small gesture inspires you to support other women who may need employment or guidance in starting their own businesses. We have a responsibility to each other as women, and I want to remind you that we rise by lifting others,” she added.
The three women expressed their gratitude for the support provided and committed to working diligently to ensure the success of their ventures. Their progress will be assessed periodically by the coaches.
In addition to the business grants, 60 women from Indigenous communities have received technical maritime and offshore training, while another 45 women in Region Two have been trained in cosmetology.
Additionally, 45 women who were victims of domestic violence have received training through a partnership between the Office of the First Lady and the Carnegie School of Home Economics (CSHE).
