BERNIE Robertson and his brother Joel Ali are happy to be able to make a difference in the lives of the people of Annai Village and surrounding communities in the North Rupununi with the services they offer through their small business called Two Brothers Technology Centre.

Launched four years ago, the business at first only provided printing and photocopying services. Now, it has now grown into a much-needed training research and information technology centre for both teachers and students.

The brothers, who also do lessons for kids who are struggling to read or have difficulty in other subject areas, decided to register their small business after completing a one-year entrepreneurial and life skills programme from Royal Hollay University of London, which had worked with Indigenous communities in Guyana in collaboration with North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB).

Because of the need for technology training, the centre now offers training in Information Communication and Technology (ICT), as well as in leadership, gender and equality. Then, in 2019, the brothers launched an education programme with 15 students enrolled, inclusive of teachers and village councillors between the age ranges of 12 and 40.

With the first batch of their students graduating in July 2020, the two brothers said they were privileged to take internships at the Bina Hill Institute (BHI) Youth Learning Centre. They have also been able to provide educational tours for primary schools across the North Rupununi.

Having grown their business, the young men are now able to offer such additional services as women empowerment, video and photography, culture documentation, public speaking skills, good governance, field activities and community engagement. The duo also reaches out to special needs children and hosts youth camps.

“With these trainings, the centre was able to see a lot of changes in different ways, especially in women and girls developing self-esteem and representing the value of strengths and weaknesses of other women in today’s society,” Bernie told Pepperpot Magazine in an interview from Annai.

The centre is closely collaborating with the Ministries of Amerindian Affairs and Education, the Regional Democratic Council of Region Nine, CTVET, NRDDB, BHI, business owners, and non-governmental organisations to develop the programme. So far, the village councils and Toshaos are very supportive of this initiative and lend their support in many different ways.

According to Bernie, the centre has so far trained 60 persons and has only recently completed the fifth batch, who will be graduating in September.
Apart from being the owners, Bernie, 34, and Orlan, 28, are the tutors at the centre. They are trained in video making and photography, communications, and ICT, both being members of the wildlife clubs of North Rupununi.

Bernie was trained by several organisations through the NRDDB, with some outstanding training being through a project called Community Owned Best Practice and Adaptive Management in the Guyana Shields (COBRA) and Integrating Traditional Knowledge into National Policy in Guyana (ITKI) project funded through Royal Holloway University in London.

SAFETY NET
Bernie and Orlan are hoping to introduce new topics and training in cosmetology, garment construction and other subject areas so as to be able to expand the reach of the centre. “The centre has changed a lot in my community. No one here has access to any kind of services and training,” he pointed out, noting that it has helped to change how teachers do their work and how students research and complete their SBAs.
“It has changed academic performance in school. Even village leaders come to learn the computer and type out their work,” Bernie shared.
“We see ourselves as a safety net for those persons who did not get to complete school. They now have an opportunity to learn a skill and be able to go out in society and do something with their lives,” he said. At the end of their six-month training, they can go out into their villages and pass on their knowledge to others.
Orlan shared that he enjoys working with the kids who come to the centre. He is hopeful that the government and other agencies will provide support to the centre so that the work it does can be boosted.