Three women receive $1.5M in business grants from First Lady 

In celebration of International Women’s Day, First Lady Mrs Arya Ali has awarded business grants totalling $1.5 million to three women to help expand their small businesses.

The recipients of the grants are 31-year-old Saudia Edghill from Buxton, East Coast Demerara (ECD); 36-year-old Junice Welcome from Kuru Kururu on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway; and 46-year-old Bena Outar from Mahaicony, Mahaica-Berbice. Each woman received financial support to further develop their entrepreneurial ventures.

Ms Outar, who specialises in the distribution of agrochemicals, Ms Welcome, who operates a daycare facility, and Ms Edghill, who produces patriotic gift items, were all part of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women’s HerVenture programme and the Road to Growth training. These platforms provide crucial business development training to empower women in the business world.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is “Accelerate Action,” a principle Mrs Ali is committed to championing in her role. “Accelerating action means speeding up what we do to achieve gender parity, and part of that involves making direct investments in the lives of women to ensure they are empowered. We’ve seen a surge in domestic violence cases, some tragically ending in murder, and a root cause of this is the lack of economic empowerment for many women. We are working aggressively to change that,” stated Mrs Ali.

Along with the financial support, the First Lady confirmed that the women will also receive technical assistance to scale their businesses. Business coaches Keon Smith and Upasna Mudlier of ActionCOACH will guide them through the process of expanding their ventures.

In her speech, Mrs Ali encouraged the recipients to pay it forward and offer support to other women in need of employment or business advice. “I hope that this little gesture inspires you to support other women who may need employment or guidance in starting their own little business. We have a responsibility to each other as women, and I want to remind you that we rise by lifting others,” she emphasised.

The three grant recipients expressed deep gratitude for the support and committed to working diligently to ensure their businesses thrive. Their progress will be monitored periodically with assistance from the business coaches.

In addition to the business grants, the First Lady’s office has also facilitated various training initiatives. Sixty women from Indigenous communities have received technical maritime and offshore training, while 45 women in Region Two have been trained in cosmetology. Furthermore, 45 women who were victims of domestic violence have benefited from a partnership between the Office of the First Lady and the Carnegie School of Home Economics (CSHE), gaining new skills and opportunities for empowerment.

The efforts reflect a broader initiative to support women’s economic independence and wellbeing, with the First Lady steadfast in her commitment to creating a more equitable society for all.