In the struggle for Guyana’s independence, women, in particular the Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO), while meeting needs of women at economical and political levels, have supported the fight.

Against this background, as Guyana celebrated another Independence Anniversary, Ms. Gail Teixeira, Adviser to the President, said, “Women played a key role in Guyana’s achievement of Independence.”

She pointed out that in pre-independence times, the general attitude towards women were that they were not important, yet they became a “critical link” in keeping the fight for independence alive.

Up to when Independence came, women were not included in society in a just way. Many of them were without a proper education and had limited access to jobs and involvement in the decision-making in society.

There was segregation and there were women who had no access to own property, to marital support and opportunities.

The WPO was formed on May 27th l953 by Janet Jagan, Jane Philips Gay, Jessica Huntely, and Ms Aukland.

It was the first women’s organisation formed to advocate for the political, economical and social needs of women.

The role of the WPO in the period after the formation was to assist the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) in ensuring that women were involved in the different aspects of work, including:

• Distributing party literature, especially in the period after the suspension of the Constitution in October 1953;

• Collecting funds for the party;

• Assisting work at the party headquarters; and

• Educating other women and their families about what was taking place in the country.

Ms. Merlin Udho, WPO’s Secretary for International Affairs, in an invited comment, stated that with the formation of the organisation, women realised the need for Independence as it would enable their progression and, by extension, the development of their country.

Societal barriers were beginning to break down slowly. Women were writing and speaking on fundamental issues. Women were agitating for equality and opportunities and women were being exposed and educated to political and economic issues.

In April 1953, the first election held under adult suffrage saw three women, Janet Jagan, Jane Philips Gay, and Jessie Burnham, being elected to the Legislative Assembly.

Udho said, “When the right for women to vote was won, many changes were made. Women were encouraged to get educated and the mere fact that they were being educated meant that they understood the need for and importance of Independence.”

Leading up to Independence, during 1953 and 1966, the WPO began raising issues in the public domain in order to educate women.

According to a WPO source, “Women were exposed to solidarity and proletarian internationalism. Women were trained and prepared at the Party School and some even went overseas for higher education. Members were exposed to conferences and meetings overseas through the WPO’s role as a member of the Women’s International Democratic Federation.”

This involvement reportedly saw the:
• Provision of a national vision for the women’s movement in creating policies, mechanisms and the various institutions to give effect to the polices that were put in place;

• Increased involvement of women who were marginalised during the PNC tenure by creating spaces and opportunities for them to come forward;

• Close collaborative efforts with NGO’s across the divide to do more for women;

• Establishment of strategic alliances with women groups and agencies to provide support for women;

• Provision of a strong and dynamic leadership for women at home and abroad;

• Implementation of policies and programmes to bring stronger cohesion between the women and government; and

• Creation of a viable cadre of women leaders for higher offices and involvement in decision-making bodies.

In this regard, Udho pointed out that when Independence came, Guyanese women, in leadership roles specifically, were able to make changes to benefit Guyana.

“A few important facets of development were the introduction of national immunisation introduced by the late Mrs. Janet Jagan, as well as that of the school feeding programme,” she said.

The WPO International Affairs Secretary posited that women have and continue to contribute to the progression of Guyana.