A total of 120 persons with disabilities (PWDs) will now gain direct employment at the new Centre for Equity, Opportunity and Innovation at Palmyra in Region Six, which was officially commissioned by First Lady Arya Ali on Wednesday.
The business centre – first of its kind in the Caribbean region – will allow PWDs to earn an income to become financially independent.
The facility features five specialised workstations where individuals can create crafts and snacks, a retail area where those items can be sold, a boardroom for training and meetings, a therapy room, a cafeteria, and restrooms.
A massive shade house is located behind the centre that will be managed by the centre’s employees.
The business centre was designed to give PWDs the chance to maintain their economic power so they could take care of their basic necessities and support the growth of their communities.
The First Lady highlighted the significant barriers faced by PWDs particularly in employment, emphasising that her attempts to persuade companies to hire these persons were unsuccessful.
“We are here to open a door, a door to dignity and independence. The East Berbice Corentyne Region often spoken about as a rice and sugar belt, is today the frontier of inclusion. It is now the home of a business centre, built not as a token, but as a tool for empowerment,” she said. “The Centre for Equity, Opportunity and Innovation, housed in the Empower Guyana building, is a space that recognises that inclusion isn’t a privilege in Guyana, it is a right.”
She noted that the government has increased social protection programmes for persons with disabilities in recent years, including cash grants and public assistance.
The centre, the First Lady stated, is seen as an embodiment of the government’s commitment to transforming lives through social services and innovation.
“We are building a society where the child in Mahaica with a hearing disability can dream of being a coder, where the woman in Albion with limited mobility can become a business owner, where the young man in Rosignol who once felt cast aside can now earn his own living with pride. This is what revolution is,” she said.
The First Lady disclosed that agencies, including the Ministry of Education, have already pledged to purchase goods and services from the centre.
Additionally, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and Public Service, Dr Ashni Singh, outlined the government’s developmental agenda for Region Six encompassing housing, road infrastructure, a modern stadium, health facilities, and job opportunities.
Minister Singh said the PPP/C government has implemented several measures to assist persons with disabilities over the years to enhance their livelihoods, citing its track record of delivering on its promises
Meanwhile, Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, noted that this phenomenal project will bring meaningful opportunities for persons living with disabilities.
Over the last five years, the government has executed innovative programmes to improve the lives of Guyanese, including housing opportunities and the blockmaking initiative benefitting persons with disabilities.
Regional Chairman David Armogan; Programme Coordinator of the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD), Ganesh Singh, and members from the diplomatic community were also at the ceremony.
