GENDER equality must become a lived reality. Guyana’s recent observance of International Women’s Day celebrated the achievements of women in Guyana, recognising those who work the farmlands, those who mould minds in the classrooms, those doling out justice in the courtrooms, and those who formulate policies in Government. Although women have made significant strides at every level of society, they are still the most likely to be victimised by domestic violence, the primary caregivers at home, and under-represented in positions of power.

Gender equality at the policy level

President David Granger, shortly after taking office in 2015, announced gender equality as a top priority for his Administration. President Granger said that his administration will

build on the programmes already in place to promote women’s rights and empowerment to see the development of a comprehensive long-term gender policy. “The proposed National Gender Policy should aim to eradicate discrimination against women, to safeguard the emotional and mental integrity and physical safety of women. It should result in women having a greater say in decision making at all levels of society… Your government will work more assiduously with Women organisations to ensure that there is greater compliance. We must do more to ensure greater equality, to eradicate poverty, to enforce the law and enable everyone to be treated as equal, under the law,” the Head of State said.

President Granger has made good on his administration’s pro-gender parity position by appointing women to one-third of the ministerial positions in his Cabinet. In May 2017, on the occasion of the 51st year of Guyana’s Independence, the Ministry of the Presidency announced that 31 out of 69 National Awardees would be women. The highest honour awarded that year, The Order of Roraima, was bestowed on Madam Justice Yonette Decina Cummings-Edwards.

Minister of Social Protection, Ms. Amna Ally, during the Ministry of Social Protection’s ‘I Am Woman’ celebration on International Women’s Day 2018, named gender equality as a national priority and said that the observance of Women’s Day provides much needed time for reflection on our strides toward the realisation of gender equality. “Today, we honour the women who have tirelessly fought and dedicated their lives towards advancing gender equality in Guyana. Promoting gender equality and empowerment of women in all spheres of life remains a national priority of the Government of Guyana and this global event provides us with the opportunity to assess the progress made in keeping with national priorities, international obligations. It allows us to examine the challenges, face and seek measures in which we can overcome these challenges to achieve gender parity,” the Minister said.

In 2017, the Ministry of Social Protection completed The Costed Strategic Plan for Women Development and Addressing Under-Achievement of Boys. The strategic plan targets three areas; equality and non-discrimination to overcome gaps in development, human rights recognition and warranty, and special provisions, to foster equal opportunities for women.

During an interview with the Ministry of the Presidency, Senior Gender Specialist, Mr. Adel Lilly explained the importance and potential impact of the strategic plan.

“The strategy seeks to address the 2030 [Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)] agenda and also seek to address the plan of 50/50 Initiative, which speaks to gender equality… The Government of Guyana seeks, therefore, to create a strategy that would achieve this objective, which is to have that 50/50 partnership in terms of gender equality and participation of women in the decision-making processes of the country,” he said.

Mr. Lilly also said that gender bias is an institutionalised phenomenon because women could not offer input when some of the systems and codes for certain fields were written and implemented. As a result, he also stressed that the fight for gender parity is highly dependent on the participation of men. “We have to realise also that gender equality is [strongly] weighted on the contribution of men because men control the resources as necessary for transforming and implementing [women’s] equality. Men hold the resources and one of the things that men will have to do is use the resources available to them, whether it is material or their institutional positions to bring about change and reform. Men are the enablers of gender equality,” the Gender Manager said.

The Strategic Plan will roll out a number of initiatives in the coming years. Among them is the emergence of at least ten protection and shelter facilities for women and child victims of domestic violence and child care facilities in all administrative regions of Guyana, gender mainstreaming training for public sector providers, annual participation in nation-wide community activities that promote equality and non-discrimination, the implementation of at least 30 entrepreneurial initiatives by women, and the launch of a gender-based National Budget.

First Lady in Action

First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger has used her office to target the most vulnerable sectors of the Guyanese society, adolescents and women. She has aligned herself with many local and international organisations that prioritise women’s rights and is a Champion of the Pan American Health Organisation’s (PAHO) Every Caribbean Woman, Every Caribbean Child Initiative, the mandates of which are the reduction of adolescent pregnancy within the Region and the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV as well as the elimination of domestic abuse, to name a few. The First Lady is also the patron of Women Across Differences (WAD) and the Guyana Girl Guides Association. She is a recipient of the Woman of Distinction Award from Celebrating Women International.

Additionally, for an initiative of her own, the First Lady has partnered with the Ministry of Social Protection and Interweave Solutions (Guyana) Incorporated to conduct the Self-Reliance and Success in Business Workshop. This workshop targets women who are prospective business owners and, upon completion, grants them a certificate of participation that is recognised by the Small Business Bureau of the Ministry of Business.

“The idea is to have a national group of women who are trained to succeed in business… This is an intensive programme and the certificate you receive at the end is something you could take to the small business unit of the Ministry of Business, any micro-finance organisation and get funding for a loan of a grant. They recognise this certificate as saying you know how to run a business,” the First Lady said.

Director at Interweave Solutions (Guyana) Incorporated, Mr. Sanjay Yohann Pooran said that although the programme has been conducted in various locations across Guyana since 2015, it is still a necessary and relevant initiative for the women of Guyana. “This programme has to do with the First Lady’s visions for women empowerment across the country. The main motivator behind the programme is Her Excellency’s vision to see women in Guyana, particularly women living in vulnerable communities, benefiting from empowerment programmes such as these. So, to stop the programme now is to suggest that women empowerment should come to an end, at least from the economic aspect and to say that we’ve addressed all of the issues, which we have not,” he said.

Knowing the potential impact that self-reliant female business owners could have on Guyana, Mr. Pooran said that to avoid targeting women for training in the management of microenterprises would be limiting to the country’s economy. “Remember [that] women are the largest section of the population. Think about it in economic terms. I’m not suggesting that real empowerment only comes through economic means, but certainly, it’s a major factor. So, if you have people from the largest segment of the population empowered economically, that’s a transformative influence for the economy in and of itself,” he said.

With the Self-Reliance workshops having trained over 1000 women, and some men, across Guyana, it is evident that the First Lady has been zealous in her pursuit of women empowerment, prompting Mr. Pooran to bestow upon her the title of ‘Champion of Women in Guyana’.

On the ground: Empowering women across Guyana

Women Across Differences (WAD) is a non-governmental organisation that enables women and girls to empower themselves by providing access to social and economic opportunities. Over the years, this organisation has offered programmes like the Personal Development, Community Facilitation, Positive Parenting, Gender Development, Leadership Development and Disaster Preparedness programmes, as well as the Comprehensive Empowerment Programme for adolescent mothers.

During an interview with the Ministry of the Presidency, Coordinator of Women Across Differences, Ms. Clonel Samuels-Boston explained the ways in which the programmes affect the lives of the participants.

“We see the difference in the individuals. We see the difference in families and honestly, we strongly feel that that very difference in the individual, and [that individual’s difference] in the families will really impact the communities and, at large, will also impact our society… WAD feels [that] if you invest, for example, in one girl, that will be investing in an entire generation… These girls not only empower themselves but these girls form themselves into a group to be their own advocate for change,” the Coordinator said.

Ms. Samuels-Boston said that while a great deal has been done in the past, in terms of programmes, Guyana really needs consistency to ensure that these changes take root. That will ensure the women and girls of Guyana always have access to the social and economic structures that foster success. “What is critical is the first step [which] is empowering of the individual to let that individual understand who she is. That’s the first step. That needs to continue. The programme needs to be ongoing… I think resources need to be allocated to the different programmes so it would be ongoing and so that it could be sustained,” she said.

At the beginning of every class, the class participants recite a motto, “I am strong. I can take care of myself. I can reach out to others. I know when to let go”. Ms. Adriana Chappelle benefited from the Life Skills Programme Women Across Differences offered in 2009. Now, she has returned to teach Spanish lessons to the young women who are currently participating.

“Programmes like these are important because not many people take the interest to know what is happening in someone’s life, especially in a young lady’s life… I came back here last year to teach them because I think I can give back to them. You know, I can help them be empowered,” she said.

Governments, organisations, and women across the world are creating policies, programmes, and standards that bring women to the forefront and Guyana is not lagging behind. Our Government will continue to encourage and empower women to be influencers and activists for gender parity as we work toward a future that is female.