Y.W.C.A. promotes income generating skills for women
And while Belizean fathers are getting all the attention this weekend, as News Five’s Kendra Griffith reports, today belonged to women.
Kendra Griffith, Reporting
For the past six weeks, forty-one women from sixteen villages in the Belize district have been coming to the Y.W.C.A. every Saturday for classes in life skills.
Five learnt the intricacies of sewing.
Edlene Smith, Sewing Student
“One of the things I am now able to do is the measuring of the cloth, of the person and of the materials because, first of all, I know how to sew, but I don’t know how to get a direct measurement. But now that I came here to the programme I learnt how to measure.”
Fourteen were trained in the art of cosmetology.
Claudia Thompson, Cosmetology Student
“You learnt what to do with the hair, what not to do with the hair, how to care for it.”
Eleven have mastered cake making and decorating.
Techia Tablada, Cake Decorating Student
“I learnt to make the rose, some flowers, different kinds of borders, the basket.”
And ten others know how to properly prepare and preserve food.
Joycelynn Flowers, Food Preparation
“We learnt to make tomato jam, quiche Lorraine, pound cake, pineapple jam, lime syrup and pineapple syrup and other pastries.”
Elaine Middleton, President, Y.W.C.A.
“The goal of the project is to provide these forty-one women with skills that they can use for self-improvement, as well as to undertake efforts that will bring income into their homes.”
Financial and technical assistance for the initiative was provided by the Belize Rural Development Programme and the Women’s Department. This week a delegation from the European Union, which funds the B.R.D.P., toured its Belizean projects.
Felice Zaccheo, Rural Dev. Head, E.U. Delegation
“This project is only the most recent example of the longstanding relationship between the European Commission and the Government of Belize and is a further sign of the European Union, European Commission commitment to poverty alleviation and improvement of living standards in Belize and in particular in the rural areas.”
And now that their training is also over, these participants have big plans.
Claudia Thompson
“Now I can open my own business more easily. I used to do hair at home just for my friends and stuff like that and charge a little bit, but now I can move up and do for a lot more people.”
Joycelynn Flowers
“My plans are to start my own food processing at Double Head Cabbage, me and my friend Glennis.”
To help the women achieve their entrepreneurial dreams, this morning every participant was provided with start-up kits relevant to their area of expertise.
Cosmetology students were armed with a flat iron and stove set, while those who specialised in manicures received nails kits.
Members of the cake decorating course took home hand mixers and cake pans. The seamstresses got sewing machines as well as zippers, threads, and scissors. Not to be outdone, the food preparers collected chef knives, cutting boards, baking pans, and food processors.
Brenda Herrera, Cake Decorating
“I want to take this opportunity to assure you that even though this programme will finish here, we will continue it in our communities. We will be teaching what we have learnt to other females as well as males if they may become interested. I can assure you that if not all, a few of us will venture into small home businesses of our own or as groups as we try our best to live by the words “Never say I can’t, always say I’ll try”.”
Classes officially end next Saturday with an open day at the Y.W.C.A. compound on St. Thomas Street. Kendra Griffith reporting for News Five.
In addition to the kits, the women are also eligible to access micro grants from the B.R.D.P. to open their businesses.
