The Guyana Council of Organizations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD) partnered with ExxonMobil Guyana to host an Entrepreneurship Training Workshop for persons who are blind and visually impaired.

Held at the National Library on Tuesday, the workshop covered a number of strategic areas, including Planning, Marketing, Customer Service and Financial Management.

It also provided an opportunity for the trainees to explore new ideas and network. This marks the second cohort comprising 32 persons.

GCOPD Programme Manager, Ganesh Singh said having done extensive work with the Small Business Bureau, which allowed persons with disabilities to access grants and other opportunities, the Council is now looking to build a network of businesses.

“One of the things that we at the Guyana Council, we have envisioned, is to establish a small business network of persons with disabilities to ensure that we can be unified in our advocacy approaches and we can also benefit from the numerous opportunities that are out there for business owners whether you have a disability or not,” Singh said.

He said with President Irfaan Ali’s announcement that the Local Content Legislation is being revised to incorporate greater opportunities for women and persons living with disabilities, it is important for them to better position themselves to capitalize on opportunities within the Oil and Gas Sector.

It was also stated that the workshop builds on an Orientation on Mobility Programme that was launched in 2022 by the Guyana Council of Organizations for Persons with Disabilities with support from ExxonMobil. That programme helped persons who are blind and visually impaired to acquire skills to improve their mobility and independence.

Over, the past four years, the programme has evolved, Singh said.

“That evolution over the past few years, ensure that we now have an entrepreneurship component for the programme, a job preparedness component for the programme, and a referral pathway for persons who are blind and visually impaired that are beneficiaries of the programme. So, let me break that down, when someone is registered and receives training through this programme, they don’t just leave with their independent living skill but they leave with hope of a brighter future,” Singh said.

It was further explained that beneficiaries of the programme are referred to the GCOPD Vocational Skills Training Programme, which allows they to access other programmes through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) or the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF).

President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Kathy Smith, lauded the initiative. Smith said the workshop will lay the foundation necessary for persons with disabilities to tap into existing opportunities.

“To me it is not just a workshop, it is us creating opportunities for persons with disabilities to ensure that they have some form of independence, they feel a sense of dignity and of course an opportunity for growth and development,” Smith said.

She urged the participants to grab at the opportunities to build their financial independence.

ExxonMobil Guyana Community Relations Supervisor, Ryan Hoppie, said Exxon is pleased to partner with GCOPD. 

“For us at ExxonMobil our community investment strategy centers on several things – STEM Education, economic development and building healthy and cohesive communities. Our aim is to ensure that our approach is inclusive, one that ensures that our investments create meaningful opportunities for all Guyanese and that includes vulnerable groups,” he said.

He said that commitment forms the basis of Exxon’s partnership with GCODP, which dates back to 2019 when they partnered to set up STEM clubs for persons with disabilities.

According to Mr. Hoppie, since then the partnership has evolved, and now includes the Orientation on Mobility Programme.

Hoppie said through these initiatives, lives are being changed and most importantly improved, and Exxon is pleased to be a part of the process.

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