THE representatives of four recently formed women’s development groups in West Berbice have been assured of full support for their entrepreneurial activities by senior staffers of the National Community Development Secretariat (NCDS).The assurances were given during a meeting between NCDS officials and the women at the Bush Lot Primary School, at Bush Lot Village West Coast Berbice on Sunday last.
The women who participated were representatives of the groups formed in Bush Lot/Armadale, Trafalgar/Tempie, Catherina’s Lust/Fort Wellington and Number 22 Bel Air, all West Coast Berbice villages, a few weeks ago.
The NCDS team comprised Director, Mr Eugene Gilbert; Assistant Director, Mr Donald Ainsworth; and Public Relations Officer, Ms Nicole Telford. Others present at the NCDS outreach included Ms Rafia McWilfred of  Luminous Women,  headed by First Lady Sandra Granger;  Ms Patsy Russell, Guyanese  Financial Sector Specialist based in Canada;  Mr Lindsworth Costello of the Board of Industrial Training (BIT); Regional Community Development Officer (RDO)   for Region 5, Ms Carol Nurse; Member of Parliament for Region 5, Ms Jennifer Wade; and prominent West Coast  Berbice residents Mr Carl Sutton and Ms Latchmin Azeez, who were instrumental in getting the women to form the groups.
Director Gilbert told the women that it is the job of the NCDS to develop a relationship with them so that they can access all the financial and capacity building benefits that the government and international donor community has to offer.
He said that the NCDS will help them access financing for their agro-processing and other projects, and also build their capacity for management and leadership.
Financial Sector Specialist Ms Patsy Russell promised to help the women develop their capacity for record keeping for marketing and other small business skills.
Mr Costello of the BIT told them that all they needed to do was write to the Board requesting training in which the Board can assist and they will receive such help.
MP Jennifer Wade said that there was a clamour from other women throughout West Berbice for the formation of such women community groups.
She stressed that these groups were not for a “select few”  as in the past, but for all the women of West Berbice who yearn to improve the quality of life of their families and the communities in which they live.

Mr Ainsworth, who is responsible for Community Development in both East and West Berbice, told the women to develop the confidence that they can establish themselves and make their businesses grow. He told them that the new Government is making   capital more easily accessible to small business people.
He said: “Our visit here to you women is not a one-off exercise. Once you have the confidence that you can establish your business and make it grow, we will be here to help you do it.”

By Clifford Stanley