THE Ministry of Human Services and Social Security (MoHSSS) “We Lift: Women Empowerment, Leading, Innovating, Flourishing Together” exhibition was a source of upliftment and encouragement for the many female business owners who took part in the event, which was held last weekend at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. Over 50 female-owned businesses capitalised on the opportunity to showcase their products and services, at the two-day women’s expo which was held in celebration of International Women’s Day that is being observed today.
Businesses on display ranged from food and wellness, to make-up, craft, and beauty products, and included longstanding businesses such as the 25-year-old “Garden Land” owned by Peggy Chin, to more recent businesses like “Couture Smile”, an orthodontist clinic launched one month ago by Dr. Anna Collins.
Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle at her booth, Chin said that while there still remains a lot of challenges to women being a part of the private business sector, events such as “We Lift” provide them with more opportunities to be valued.

“Being a part of the women expo is so uplifting because you meet other women from all walks of life and it’s showcasing what we as women can do to earn a living. The business world is dominated by men, so we have to fight harder to get our voices heard and we’re still fighting a lot,” Chin commented.
Chin’s popular plant store is located on Brickdam in the city. Chin’s store “Garden Land” specialises in retailing a wide variety of plants, and came about from Chin’s love for plants. Aside from “Garden Land”, Chin also recently deviated and established ‘Suellee’s Kitchen” which specialises in providing made-to-order authentic Chinese pastries, along with other Guyanese pastries.

Just over in the booth next to Chin’s was passionate businesswoman, Simone Peters, who travelled all the way from Crane on the West Coast of Demerara (WCD) to be a part of the event. Peters runs “Ann’s Country Style”, a catering business.
“I always gravitate towards opportunities to put myself and my business out there. Coming here was an opportunity for Ann’s to go out there, and it enables me to network and meet other people,” the mother of two shared.

Peters noted that being a female business owner in the food industry just came naturally to her, because she just wasn’t fit for life in an office.
“In my late teens, I wanted to experience working in an office, so I tried it but it didn’t cut it for me. Then I realise, I have to go back to what I know, to my roots, and this is what I know. I always say to people if you are doing something that you love doing, keep doing it because that is where you will get the best results,” she suggests.
Dr. Anna Collins was another businesswoman at the expo, who was passionate about what she does. She opened her business to use her service to help others. After struggling with an “open bite” as a child, which affected her confidence, Dr. Collins said she was just a teenager when she knew that she wanted to be an orthodontist.
An orthodontist is a dentist who specialises in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of dental and facial irregularities.

“I was a thumb sucker so I had an open bite and my incisors protruded. My mom realised it was affecting my confidence so she said we have to fix this. After the treatment I smiled more, was more outspoken, whereas before I didn’t want persons to see my smile. So, I said this is what I want to do,” she shared.
Also involved in the same industry was dental surgeon, Dr. Amelia Nandkumar, who travelled all the way from Berbice to showcase her business “Dental Clinic and Labaratory – Venus”. She was encouraged to get into the dental field by admiring her father, who is also a dentist.
“Our aim here today is not only to promote us, but to support women and to show that nothing is impossible for a willing heart. Fly as far as you can but never forget where you came from. I am striving, and little by little, it’s going and it can be hard sometimes but it is not impossible,” Dr. Nandkumar offered.