MINISTER of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud said the ‘care economy,’ which was announced in November by President Dr. Irfaan Ali, will include persons in communities who are already involved in the provision of care services.

This will allow them to transform how they offer care, turning it into something that is financially beneficial.

From the ministry’s standpoint, Minister Persaud said they are encouraging persons to take courses such as care for the elderly, care for children including special needs education, and early childhood development, all of which are offered by the community, and be part of community or even home-based care which attracts support through several government initiatives.

“If you have a space and you need infrastructural support, you have furniture and equipment that you need to create that environment to facilitate the care of children or the elderly, this is going to make the difference because it does a lot of things,” she said.

Dr. Persaud said this initiative creates avenues for entrepreneurship and for employment before explaining that it could be consortium-based, where a group of persons collaborate to provide safe care for children and empower more parents to go into the world of work.

The minister pointed out that, Guyana, with the level of development being undertaken, has many parents who are going out to work and will need somewhere safe for their children on a daily basis.

It was previously reported that a care economy is a social and economic structure where resources, infrastructure and programmes are specifically designed to nurture the well-being, empowerment and productivity of individuals and families, especially the most vulnerable.

President Dr. Irfaan Ali had explained that the ‘care economy’ would be realised through a multi-faceted investment package focusing on infrastructure and support services at the household and community levels.

Dr. Ali announced the establishment of specific centres within Region Six, each tailored to empower distinct segments of the population.

Facilities dedicated to the empowerment of men and women, mental health support, and the advancement of persons living with disabilities were highlighted as key priorities.