Sponsors sought for annual Rupununi Christmas Fair

The Kanuku Mountains Com-munity Representative Group (KMCRG) Christmas Fair Committee is seeking sponsorship of awards and prizes for the fourth Rupununi Christmas Fair to be held at the Market Place, Lethem, on Saturday, December 21, 2013.

A release from the KMCRG said that awards and prizes would encourage enterprising activities and motivate participants to continue to develop their skills and to market their products.

The committee said that they would be delighted to receive support for the Christmas Fair and its role in promoting the values and traditions of the Amerindian communities in the Rupununi.

It said that following the success of the fair last year, this year the Christmas Fair will be show-casing a range of gifts including locally made handicraft, jewellery, cosmetics, soaps and natural products, as well as a fuller range of foods and beverages.

The popularity of the competitions and the useful nature of prizes will see the return of this feature.  Last year, the overall winners of each category received awards and, through donations from supporters of the fair, the Fair Committee was able to provide them with the cost of flights to and from Lethem as well as a daily allowance.

The Shulinab Women’s Group won a free TGA return flight, registration, stall hire and expenses for one of their members to attend GuyExpo in Georgetown; Rita Francis from YWMS – SEPO, Annai also won a free TGA return flight, registration, stall hire and expenses to attend GuyExpo; Helping Hands Women Producers’ Coopera-tive Society won an all-expenses paid, two week cookery workshop donated by Pearson Burch-Smith, formerly of Maggie’s Restau-rant, Georgetown.

The committee said that the types of awards they are considering for this year are as follows: educational/ exchange trips to a centre of excellence in the appropriate field; travel and accommodation expenses to attend workshops at centres of excellence; attendance of workshop or training courses in the appropriate field; material to assist with brand or marketing development (product labels, stationery, banners, etc); specialised packaging (jars, rolls of plastic tubing, plastic containers, etc); specialised tools for handicrafts; kitchen and catering utensils and equipment.

Donations can be deposited into the following account:  Kanuku Mountains Com-munity Representative Group (KMCRG) Christmas Fair, GBTI – Lethem branch, Account No. 008600604018.

Contact can be made with Jessica George on 650 1884, or Behi Barzegar on 674 4071 or directly at KMCRG Office, Lot 164, Lethem, Region 9.