SUSAN Farnum’s originality has surpassed the expectations of many who doubted her capabilities, skills, and talent.
Even though she has roots in a remote village in Guyana, she did not let that define her future but utilised foundation-based education and skills to become the best version of herself.
She is a businesswoman and philanthropist who was born on May 1, 1987, in a remote indigenous village named Warapoka, located in Santa Cruz, Moruca (Barima-Waini), Region One, and developed an interest in entrepreneurship, politics, and community service.
Farnum had the opportunity to relocate to the city; it was her father’s idea to afford her an education there. So, at age four, she came to Georgetown to live with a relative on Pere Street, Kitty.
She is the daughter of David Farnum, a renowned public servant who placed her in the care of his cousin so that she could attend school in the city. Her name is Cyrilda De Jesus—at that time, she was a Member of Parliament (MP) and a businesswoman in gold mining who resided in Kitty.
As a product of Region One, she came to the city at a young age to attain primary, secondary, and tertiary education.
She graduated from North Georgetown with seven passes at CXC and pursued studies at the Business School and the University of Guyana (UG).
She related that at age 17, she embraced her independence, moved away from her cousin’s care, and started to build her own life. At the time, she was managing two businesses. Unfortunately, those were not as successful as she had hoped, but she continued to shape her way as a woman in business.
Farnum reported that she developed a love for politics and philanthropy during her younger years because of her family ties.
After successfully applying her newfound knowledge, she founded a logistics company, SF Strategic Investments, in February 2020, following her exit from the Public Service.
Farnum is known for her social work in Guyana, and her efforts remain relevant in behind-the-scenes work, especially when it comes to giving back to the community.
Farnum enjoys mentoring others, including youths, some of whom she has played a vital role in their lives by devoting her time to social and educational activities.
“Today, she continues to expand her business and contribute to community development by collaborating with the Open Gates Community Group in Parika, East Bank Essequibo, where a skilled and qualified group has taken root to empower others,” she said.
The group works with communities, especially women in business, and provides life skills training in homemaking, cooking, farming, and artificial intelligence (AI), among others.
“I am currently developing a partnership programme to be launched in April this year, where exchange students will be engaged in camps to both learn and teach indigenous craft-making, among other things,” Farnum said.
Farnum also worked with Indigenous women’s groups in Warapoka and two other remote villages and helped develop a work programme for Mabaruma.
She explained that the women’s groups in these far-reaching communities are involved in skills training to empower women and youth, and they are seeking to expand into Regions Two, Three, and One.
Farnum pointed out that outside of her business, which is procurement and construction, she is also a logging concessionaire, and that is her source of income.
In her professional sphere, she worked with the Diplomatic Corps for 15 years through Georgetown International Academy and left government service after gaining experience and building a network to launch her own small business.
Farnum spent a good part of her adult life working with youth groups, in politically motivated capacities, as well as with the Red Cross, the Diplomatic Corps, government, and the private sector.
However, when motherhood happened in 2020, when she gave birth to her first child, it changed the family dynamics, and she spent the better part of four years tending to her son. When her second child, a daughter, was two years old, she returned to business as an entrepreneur.
It was during this time, while building her business, that she was led to the Open Gates Community Group, where she is employed, tasked with overseeing group activities, and also part of the management team.
Farnum is the mother of two children, and she has been employed as a teacher since January this year with the Open Gates Community Group (OGCG), a non-governmental organisation (NGO).
Open Gates Community Group
Open Gates Community Group (OGCG) is a skills-training project designed to address unemployment and societal ills within the community.
It falls under the umbrella of Eden Gates Farm, which was formed and registered in 2022 by a group of like-minded persons for farming and as a safe space for the community, but later evolved into a training facility for the common good.
From farming, they developed into a snackette, a recreational facility (safe space), a variety store, a meeting place, and an OGCG to facilitate training and capacity building for villagers in Parika.
The farm is multi-purpose: it grows long-term crops like citrus and raises fish, poultry, and coconuts. They hope to build a shade house in the near future to expand the farm.
The OGCG comprises seven administrative members, with 14 volunteers and ground support personnel scattered across the country.
Eden Gates Farm will also be part of training people in agriculture, as well as getting villagers, especially those with small businesses like cement block-making and workshops, involved by taking on trainees to empower people, including youths and older people.
So far, people are responding favourably, but they need more support. People are more excited about the training sessions that started in January this year in catering, sewing, computer, and mechanical training.
Parika, East Bank Demerara, has two housing schemes with about 140 households and an additional immigrant population of more than 40 households, so capacity and human capacity building are needed, but not limited to that area alone.
