The Young Women’s Christian Association of Guyana (YWCA) on Thursday received over a million dollars and several computers and printers from the United Kingdom through the Department for International Development (DFID).
British High Commissioner, Edward Glover, handed over a cheque valued $1,020,000 and six desktop computers along with three printers and a modem to President of YWCA, Dhamattie at his Main Street office.
The donation will go towards seeing the establishment of a computer centre to introduce skills training for young women.
It is expected that the centre will provide underprivileged women and girls with access to computers, the internet and the necessary training otherwise impossible to access because of their economic circumstances.
Glover in brief comments on Thursday said that the YWCA, over the years, had done a great deal to help needy women and girls and gave the example of the pioneering programme for early school leavers. He said that the organisation had also provided training in handicraft and other marketable skills.
He mentioned the fact that DFID, through which the donation was made, is heavily engaged with macro-programmes in education, water, forestry and lands administration.
According to him those large programmes were helping not only with poverty alleviation but also with the enhancement of basic rights but he pointed out the small projects like the one o Thursday reached individuals more directly at grass roots level.
The presentation was attended by other members of the YWCA; Director of Building Community Capa-city Project (BCCP), Anne-Marie Chagnon; BCCP’s Financial Administrator, Keith Burrowes; and Director of DFID, Sandra Tularam.