Women turn training into tools for caregiving and careers

When Bibi Khirdhar signed up for a government-backed course on elderly care, she was thinking first of her 77-year-old uncle.

“I’m taking care of my elderly uncle, so I’m glad to learn more about it,” she said after completing the programme. “I enjoyed this because Miss taught us a lot that I didn’t know before,” Khirdhar added with a smile.

Khirdhar is one of 25 women in Region Six who recently finished the Care for the Elderly course, part of the Women’s Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN) run by Guyana’s Ministry of Human Services and Social Security. The initiative is designed to equip women with practical skills that can be used at home, in their communities, or as a step toward employment.

For fellow participant Dhanmattie Mohabir, the training offered a way to take her skills beyond her own family. “The training will benefit me to go out in the fields, look at the elderly in bed, check with them, like their pressure and sugar,” she said.

Others see the programme as a stepping stone to professional healthcare. “We learned how to care for the elderly in different ways, how to make their bed depending on their condition,” said Bebi Arjune, who dreams of becoming a nurse. “Since I want to go into nursing, this certificate is going to help me apply.”

The Care for the Elderly course was one of three held simultaneously in the region, alongside décor and garment construction. Facilitator Sonia Roopnarine said each program enrolled 25 women from Upper Corentyne, New Amsterdam and nearby communities. Participants who pass an evaluation will receive certificates that can help them seek jobs or offer services locally.

Through WIIN, dozens of women in Guyana are building new livelihoods — and, in the process, finding ways to fill real gaps in community care.