Good morning guys,
One of the highlights for March 2017, as part of the activities to celebrate International Women’s Day will certainly be my visit to the Berbice Women’s Prison. In 2016, I spent a few hours interacting with them and had a personal conversation with every one of them; and some very interesting stories were told; some very touching.

I had a nice chat with the guys too and it is always difficult for mothers to be separated from their kids especially when they are babies. Talking about babies, I fell in love with the most beautiful baby boy, Bob Anthony Viera. I met his mom in prison and she called me when she gave birth to him. I did not want to leave him in the hospital that day knowing he had to go to the prison with his mom.

I totally agreed with President Granger’s International Women’s day message when he said mothers belong with their children and not in jail. One of the women there last year contacted me as soon as she was released this year as one of the women that benefited from the Presidential Pardon. We are in contact every day and she sends beautiful pictures of her and her children who are happy she is back in their lives.

I am also in contact with another young lady who was released earlier this year and I invited her to breakfast at my home. I am trying to provide a positive influence for both of these women because the last thing we need is for them to go back to prison.
We have so much talented women in prison and some of them were a part of a project I did for the 50th Anniversary celebration. They created crochet book markers using the Guyana flag colours. We have to continue to support and empower women in and out of prison for the development of a great society

I was thrilled to see the amazing interaction at the networking event at Charting Your Course: People, Purpose and Passion at the Pegasus. We are contemplating making it a monthly event because it can contribute to tremendous growth.
This event was aimed at bringing together the exhibitors, young and new women business entrepreneurs and other prominent women in business in Guyana, to kick start conversations on partnering and collaborations and forming plateaus of support for mutual growth and development.

The Honourable Catherine Hughes, Minister of Public Telecommunications was the featured speaker. Minister Hughes, a strong advocate for the development of women in business, delivered a speech that highlighted her own experiences as a young business woman, as a means of encouraging the attendees to Be Bold For Change.

Other guest speakers were Dr. Desiree DeFlorimonte, who shared how she overcame obstacles to educate herself and became and educator. Dr. Raquel Thomas-Caesar shared why she was passionate about women’s rights; Rosemarie Ramitt, reemphasized the importance of the inclusion of persons, especially women with disabilities and Shonta Noel, who all accentuated the importance of dedicating yourself to your business and developing your brand while challenging yourself. They also alluded to believing in the vision as business women and using collaborations as a means of building their individual industries.

Today I will be sharing some descriptive words about women since we are still celebrating our achievements:

WOMEN ARE DYNAMIC

WOMEN ARE CREATIVE

WOMEN ARE VERSATILE

WOMEN CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

WOMEN ARE UNIQUE

WOMEN ARE INNOVATIVE

WOMEN AE RESILIENT

WOMEN CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

WOMEN ARE ENTERPRISING

WOMEN ARE RISK-TAKING

WOMEN ARE EVOLVING

WOMEN CAN CHART THEIR OWN DESTINIES

WOMEN ARE BELIEVERS

WOMEN ARE HEALERS

WOMEN ARE LOVERS

WOMEN CAN SAVE OUR HUMANITY

WOMEN ARE MOTIVATORS

WOMEN ARE MENTORS

WOMEN ARE MOTHERS

WOMEN CAN RISE TO THE OCCASION

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style” – Maya Angelou

Let’s continue to Celebrate, Commit and Contribute to each other’s well Being.