At Moco Moco village in Region Nine, Central Rupununi opportunities for sustainable employment are few and far between. Twenty-nine-year old Analisa Edwards, a Macushi woman and a resident of Moco Moco, holds the view that in such a situation you take the hand which the circumstances have dealt you and simply play it the best way you can. That is the course of action that she is seeking to have womenfolk in her village take by directing their energies towards the entrepreneurial opportunity afforded by the Kayaweng Women’s Agro-Processors Association. The group of fifteen women have been together for just over a year and they have taken cassava and farine and used these to create an economy that sustains many more people than it actually employs. Equally significantly, the Association has expanded its production levels to a point where it has created a valuable emergency storehouse in the event of disaster in the community or in nearby communities. It is an understanding which the women take seriously.
Later this month, the Canadian government will be providing community training in the management of storage bonds and Analisa says that the group will also be engaging the Government Analyst-Food & Drug Department for further training and sensitisation to ensure that what they offer is safe for human consumption.
