-by Shamiah Grant
The government is advancing efforts to build a national Care Economy, offering services such as childcare and elderly care.
Oversight Minister Dr. Vindhya Persaud says 1.2 billion dollars will be invested over a two-year period to transform unpaid care into sustainable employment opportunities.
Minister Persaud says the National Care Economy initiative aims to expand access to affordable childcare and elderly care across the country.
She, however, clarified that the elderly and childcare services covered under this initiative are non-medical.
Applications from certified caregivers, experienced practitioners and prospective entrepreneurs are invited to launch care-based businesses.
“We want to support working families, and we want to give you an opportunity to earn through this model It is creating entrepreneurship opportunities, new employment opportunities because you can take persons along with you, have them employed with you, and more importantly, it is improving care across Guyana,” she said.
Key supports and incentives offered include: Financial assistance for service providers and fully funded training programs delivered via the WIIN initiative and the University of Guyana.
The skill development programme will cover Levels 1 through 3 in childcare and elderly care, health and safety, first aid, and entrepreneurship.
“We are supporting you for facility improvement. We are definitely supporting you for furniture and equipment. We are providing learning materials for you, and we are looking at training and certification, health and safety requirements. We’re also paying for your registration. So, government is heavily investing with you to make sure that this is a success,” she emphasised.
Interested persons are required to provide a safe, legally owned or authorized, enclosed space, and the location must be situated in a secure environment away from alcohol vendors or rum shops.
Persons can also register and complete the initial background and space assessments via the Care Economy QR code or email address available on the ministry’s social media pages.
