A GROUP of women in Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) had long wanted to break into the male-dominated sphere of operating heavy duty equipment, mainly because there are not many other opportunities for employment there.

Some of the members of Women On The Move

So they applied to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) for money so that they could access the requisite training, and then they kept their fingers crossed in the hope that they would get through.

They got the good news last week.

Their request for funding from CIDA was approved with a grant in the sum of G$3.3M to be provided by the Agency for their training and certification as heavy duty equipment operators.

The information was given to the women, whose group is named Women On The Move (WOTM), by Mr Richard Couture, a representative of the executing agency of local CIDA funded projects.

The women received the good news in the Boardroom of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) Tuesday last.

Couture told them: “Your proposal was a curious proposal that nobody was really expecting, but the content was quite interesting. And so, CIDA met and agreed on a grant of GD$ 3.3M in order for this to be possible.”

He said that the main intention of the approval was to empower them with skills so they could get employment in an area where opportunities are scarce.

In accordance with the approval, they will receive training from the Government Technical Institute (GTI).

But the training will be done at Mahdia, with both the equipment and resource persons coming from Georgetown, which is in accordance with the programme.

Couture said the grantees will be required to pass both theoretical and practical tests prior to certification.

Once they are certified, efforts will be made at the highest levels to ensure that they obtain employment, either in mining or road construction, Couture said.

He  said that CIDA was now addressing the issue of how the money will be managed, adding that it will be handed over to them, and that they are to be trained in accounting and will be subject to audits to ensure compliance with the financial regulations of the agency.

He  urged the women to organise themselves so that the programme can commence as quickly as possible.

Organising Secretary of the group, Mrs Grace Urquhart, expressed their gratitude to CIDA for the grant and said that the women were looking forward to setting an example for other women elsewhere to follow.

“We will make the breakthrough in this field and show other women that although handling bobcats,  bulldozers and excavators is a field dominated by men, women can do it too,” she said, to the audible approval of other members of the group.

Mahdia is the seat of administration of Region Eight, and is  entirely dependent on mining for its existence.

WOTM envisages that their members will be able to operate equipment for dry mining operations, which are being currently being promoted as a means of mitigating  the adverse effects of mining on the environment.