Guyana hosts first Women’s Exposition

May 28, 2011 News

– economic empowerment

To celebrate the entrepreneurial skills and beauty of Guyanese women, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security yesterday hosted Guyana’s first Women’s Exposition at a cost of $15M at Guyana National Stadium, Providence.
The exposition, “Feminition”, is a three-day event enabling women and men to interact with various women’s group and agencies which focus on the empowerment of women.
Empowering women economically is a task which Government, corporate citizens and non-governmental organizations have engaged.
Through financial projects such as Women of Worth, a collaborative micro-credit endeavour between Government and the Guyana Bank of Trade Industry and Commerce (GBTI) more than 1,000 female single parents were able to establish small businesses, said John Tracey, Director/ Chief Executive Officer of GBTI.
Addressing the gathering of mostly women, Tracey noted that 70 percent of the world’s poor is women who receive uneven pay, have restricted access to credit and have problems with landownership.
In addition 75 percent of the illiterate world population is also women.
In Guyana, the micro-credit loans were given to the female single parents in vulnerable situations without presenting assets for collateral.
He said that women have the reputation for being conservative. In business no risk means no rewards and men are generally risk takers. For women to move forward they need to take risks, he added.
However, President Jagdeo is of a different opinion. Women take the biggest risk of giving birth, he said.
According to the Head-of-State risk is a learnt behaviour that is derived from access to finances. If women were to have more access to finances they would take risk in more measured ways than men which would lead to prosperity.
The world is changing and the Region is challenged with meeting the needs of its six million people with the exclusion of Haiti. He noted that at the recent CARICOM meeting, leaders were tasked to look beyond traditional sectors and craft new ones in creating opportunities.
The Region cannot compete with India and China; as such leaders have to shift their mindset toward creating new opportunities and this exposition can make this, Jagdeo said.
He pointed to the fact that girls are performing better than boys in the area of education and more focus is being placed on women’s rights. In Guyana, women have the power to decide their reproductive fate while this is not enjoyed throughout the world.
The head-of-State challenged women to take up the responsibility of their sons in creating a better society. Jagdeo posited that at the level of the state aggressive focus would be placed on violence against women and sexual predators.
In terms of creating opportunity for women, focus would be placed on entrepreneurial skills and Government would be tasked with ensuring that there is no glass ceiling so women can own the biggest company in society.
He challenged the private sector to work with and for women. Jagdeo emphasized that in the three arms of Government there are more women taking up leadership positions than in the private sector.
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Priya Manickchand, boasted of Government’s strides in its efforts to bridge the gender gap. She pointed to the fact that Guyana has achieved Universal Primary Education, availability of legal aid services, passage of legislation expanding women’s rights, financing for economic ventures and now Feminition.
Minister Manickchand said that from 1994 to date the legal aid service, which is a non-governmental organization that is fully supported by Government, has helped over 20,000 persons, most of whom were women.
Feminition was convened as an intervention to empower women. It was created to inspire women to take up their position as equals
She pointed to the fact that gender equality would not only empower women but also men for it would allow faster development.

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Guyana hosts first Women’s Exposition

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