– meets with residents

MINISTER of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, on Saturday conducted an outreach in Mocha-Arcadia, East Bank Demerara, where she visited vulnerable persons within the community and distributed hampers.

The Minister, who was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Shannielle Hoosein-Outar and a team of social and welfare officers, also engaged the women of the community on how they could access the various support and training programmes offered by the ministry, the Department of Public Information (DPI) reported.

Addressing a small group of women following the distribution exercise, Minister Persaud explained that the intention is to ensure the government’s programmes are reaching the people countrywide and to provide support in the form of care packages to the vulnerable in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ministry has been implementing a successful garment and cottage industry initiative, targeting single parents and women by honing their existing skills.

Minister Persaud said participants are also trained in functional business literacy, sustainable business and micro-enterprise and social issues.
“Every initiative the Ministry develops will have that component. So, it’s teaching you not the skills, but helping you to create a market that is sustainable so that you can have financial independence,” she was quoted by DPI as saying.

While the programme focuses on women, Minister Persaud said she was overwhelmed to see a few men also expressing interest.
“Employment is challenging; as you know, the government has promised to increase the number of persons who are employed and so this is all moving in that direction.”

Moreover, Minister Persaud said the intent is also to ascertain how people are managing in the COVID-19 pandemic, and to determine what additional support could be offered to those in need.
“I seized the opportunity today to visit persons in their homes and continue the distribution of hampers which the Ministry would have been doing … we also give out hundreds of hampers at the Ministry because people come to us with all kinds of requests,” Dr. Persaud said.

The team also used the opportunity to highlight some of the social issues plaguing the Guyanese society, especially gender-based violence and the role the community could play in addressing it.
Similar exercises were conducted in Bath Settlement and Lovely Lass in Region Five and Parfaite Harmonie in Region Three. The ministry will also be visiting other areas including Enmore, Better Hope and Vryheid’s Lust on the East Coast of Demerara.