Young girls from across Guyana were celebrated at a special event held to mark International Day of the Girl Child at the Umana Yana on Monday.
The event, hosted by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, focused on empowering girls to access opportunities, overcome challenges, and lead in their communities. The event featured successful and influential Guyanese women who engaged directly with the girls about their own struggles to get where they are today.
Among them were Kathy Smith, the first female President of the GCCI; attornery Pauline Chase; environmentalist Annette Arjoon; Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Yonette Edwards; Olympian Chelsea Edghill; and environmental economist Pradeepa Bholanauth.
At the end of a short mentorship activity, the women leaders were asked to become permanent mentors to the girls. The girls, in turn, got the opportunity to ask questions and share their personal struggles and challenges.
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, explained that while girls continue to face challenges, she highlighted that more girls are completing school and making their mark in both the public and private sectors.
“As girls you come from various places in our country, you come from many backgrounds and so your experiences, your exposure would have shaped the girl that you are today. And, we are trying in our own way to be able to have some input in the woman you will be tomorrow while ensuring the girl you are today, you will understand that there is support for everything that you want to do and all that you can be,” Minister Persaud stated.
In her address, Pradeepa Bholanauth focused on the impact of the climate crisis on girls. She highlighted that across Guyana, girls are stepping up as climate advocates through youth networks, environmental clubs, and school initiatives, proving that leadership is defined not by age or title, but by purpose.
“Together and alone we are strong, we are strong individually and we are strong as a collective and that is really a powerful statement because today girls face so many barriers in our everyday lives, in our work, in society and we have to work very hard breaking those barriers, reshaping our communities, leading movements of justice, science, sustainability as we chart the path to our development and nowhere is that leadership more needed, more visible than on the frontline of the climate crisis,” Bholanauth said.
And, so she urged those present to commit to action and not just words.
“The story of climate change is not only about the planet we are losing, it is about the people we are becoming. It is about the girl child – courageous, curious, and creative.”
While the event focused on empowering girls to access opportunities and overcome challenges, it also featured sport, dance, and yoga sessions.
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