– First Lady tells Port Kaituma Self Reliance graduates

THIRTY women were Friday awarded certificates after completing Frist Lady Sandra Granger’s Self Reliance and Success in Business Workshop at Port Kaituma, Region One.“Your education is a life-long process, while you would have completed this workshop you will continue to learn, to grow, to support each other… Go back to your communities and help other women to develop, not only in the business sense, but also in all the things you would have [acquired from] the programme,” Mrs Granger told the graduates, who hail from Matthews Ridge, Baramita, Arataka, Four Miles and other communities.
The First Lady then encouraged the women to share what they have learnt with the other women in their communities. “I don’t believe in speaking out for women. I believe in empowering women to speak for themselves. We believe that when women become empowered they empower their families and they are able to contribute in a much better fashion to the communities in which they live,” she said.
Facilitator of Interweave Solutions, Mr Yohann Sanjay Pooran, said the workshops focus on ensuring that each woman knows the importance of conducting legal and legitimate business.
“We talk a lot about the importance of getting legal, registered businesses, conducting your business through the proper tax regime as established by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), ensuring that you follow through with [the] National Insurance Scheme (NIS), ensuring that the business you operate is not only successful, but legal,” he said.
Echoing a previous remark made by the First Lady about the link between empowering women and an overall enhanced standard of living for families and communities, Mr Pooran said this theme is central to the training.