…Empowering women, changing lives
By Chevon Lim
The theme for International Women’s Day, to be celebrated on 8 March, is “Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives”. The occasion serves as an opportunity to transform momentum into action, to empower women in all settings, rural and urban, and celebrate the activists who are working relentlessly to claim women’s rights and realise their full potential.
For the members of the Wowetta Women’s Agro-Processors their journey to becoming a self-sustaining group has been marked by determination and resilience. According to the Manager of the agricultural initiative, Ms. Grace Albert, the project has resulted in the remarkable transformation of the livelihoods of the women in the community.
What began as a voluntary enterprise in 2007, with a few members, has now morphed into a successful enterprise which includes over fifty women. Ms. Albert, however, was quick to explain to the Guyana Times Sunday Magazine that the benefits of the initiative also extends to beneficiaries beyond the Region Nine community. The group’s mission continues to be creating income-generating employment for women in particular in Wowetta, although they have expanded their focus also to youths.
Successful Enterprise
The village, which borders the Iwokrama International Rainforest Protected area, is the site of a modern, multimillion-dollar cassava processing and farine storage facility, where up to 10,000 pounds of farine can be stored, thanks to a collaborative effort of CIDA, CI, CUSO and other stakeholders. The facility provides paid employment for more than fifty women, youths, elderly persons and cassava farmers across the Rupununi. While the beneficiaries are primarily women, Ms. Albert pointed out that the men in the community are also involved in the enterprise. “We tried to include all of the women in the decision making process. The aim was to have all women involved not just financial members. Eventually they brought their husbands, so we also embrace the men.” The benefits of the group also extend to single mothers in the community, she added.
Grace explained that the Group is run by a committee, and the workers rotate, five to seven at a time, to produce farine, sweet cassava flour, cassava bread, cassareep and tapioca on a weekly basis. “The workers would rotate their shifts and they would then get a break so that they would also have time for their families,” she noted. Although this initiative is a success, the women in the area also tried other enterprises including agro processing, medicinal soaps and oils. She also acknowledged the growth of the business. “As time went by we had the capital to attract other stakeholders and we were then able to benefit from training, capacity building and exposure,” Grace said.
Empowering Women
Eventually, the Wowetta Women’s Agro-Processors became part of a wider group, the Women Agroprocessors Development Network (WADN), which was established in 2011 with the support of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) to accelerate the individual small ventures located in Regions 1, 2 and 9 with the intention of ensuring that the group members improve their entrepreneurial skills.
According to Ms. Albert , the involvement in this wider group has allowed the members of the Wowetta Women’s Agro-Processors Group to network and to showcase their skills regionally and internationally. She explained, “Our group is actually one of the founding members. We have built a network since becoming a part of this group and we have travelled to different countries including Suriname, Barbados, Antigua, Trinidad, Washington and China.”
She also emphasised that while the wider group is comprised of more members, the women all have a chance to represent Guyana and their communities based on their skills and strengths. They are also active in representing their communities at several shows throughout the year which are hosted in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, CI, and New GMC among other agencies.
“Since the formation of the group, we have seen an improvement in the exposure; in addition, livelihoods have also improved. Women in the community now have permanent jobs and they should be appreciated for the roles they play in the region,” Grace added.
While she acknowledged that the success of the Wowetta Women’s Agro-Processors Group required commitment and dedication, Ms. Albert is encouraging other women and young girls to work towards realising their potential.
She explained, “We all should feel equal as we all have the potential. Even though we are not all educated we should not be selfish and to keep our knowledge. Instead, we should embrace each other so that we can all reach our potential.” More importantly, Ms. Albert emphasised that it is also important to change perceptions and to embrace and encourage the single parent women in the communities. “This group has played a critical role in empowering women,” She stressed.
The Wowetta Women’s Agro-Processors also works closely with the Moco Moco Women’s Group. “We help each other and share our knowledge,” she added. (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)
