Georgetown, Guyana — (July 16, 2018) First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, on Saturday, said that “empowered girls and women are crucial to the development of their families, their communities, their countries and the world” and it is imperative that they realise that their contributions matter, in her address at the opening ceremony of the Girls’ Empowerment Workshop, which was held at the School of the Nations, New Market, Kingston. The one-day workshop, which was organised by the Sixth Form Students of the school, aims to empower girls ages 10-15 years to maximize their potentials.
The First Lady urged the participants to become involved in non-traditional career paths and to strive to overcome socioeconomic circumstances or prejudices that might deter them from pursuing or achieving their goals. “We have to position ourselves to seize the opportunities that will aid in our economic development… It is important that you find your passion and follow your path with dedication and determination,” Mrs. Granger said.
Meanwhile, during the interactive session of the workshop, the First Lady said that women and girls needed to be educated, self-aware and ambitious in order to succeed in today’s world. “The key is to be educated, you then become empowered… You also have to be aware of yourself as a person. Each one of us is unique – race, class, age, and social status have nothing to do with it. We have been blessed with talents, it falls to us to develop those talents and achieve our full potential,” she said.
Reigning Miss World Guyana, Ms. Ambika Ramraj, in her remarks, encouraged the participants to explore the diversity in women and girls’ empowerment, adding that each woman possesses amazing qualities whether tangible or intangible. “Women[‘s] empowerment must start with us as females. I believe [that] when women love themselves and each other the women’s empowerment movement will continue to grow,” she said.
Panellist Ms. Wanita Huburn, expressed similar sentiments and cautioned the participants against allowing themselves to be limited based on others’ expectations of them. Instead, she said, they should pursue careers that they believe would fulfil them and help them to contribute to the development of the country.
The participants of the workshop hailed from Cummings Lodge/Sophia, East Ruimveldt and other areas.
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