In a historic ceremony, First Lady Arya Ali on Wednesday commissioned the Center for Equity, Opportunity and Innovation at the Empower Guyana building in Palmyra – a first-of-its-kind business centre for persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Guyana and the English-speaking Caribbean.
Addressing a large gathering of partners, officials, community leaders, and citizens, the First Lady expressed profound gratitude to God, attendees, and stakeholders who made the initiative possible. She described the project as a doorway not just into a building but into a future defined by dignity, independence, and opportunity.
“We are not just here to commission a building. We are here to open a door—a door to dignity, to independence, to possibility,” she stated. “This center is not a token; it is a tool. A tool for empowerment, for agency, for pride.”
The Center for Equity, Opportunity and Innovation was conceptualized in 2022 under the Office of the First Lady’s ‘Possibility Initiative’, after widespread consultations with members of the disability community. The First Lady said she was deeply moved by the persistent barriers PWDs face in gaining employment, despite their talent, creativity, and desire to contribute meaningfully to society.
“Without a job, there is no income. Without income, there is no independence. And without independence, how can one truly thrive?” she asked.
This realization spurred the development of a space designed with and for persons with disabilities, a business center where ability is celebrated, potential is nurtured, and dreams are allowed to take root and flourish.
The newly opened centre is the first of its kind in the Caribbean, and directly employs 120 persons with disabilities, offering not just jobs, but meaningful opportunities to shape their own futures.
The facility features five specialized workstations catering for Web Services & Tech Repairs, Craft, Art & Souvenir Production, Garment Construction & Screen Printing, Catering & Commercial Food Services and General Purpose Workspace.
Products made in the center and by other entrepreneurs with disabilities are showcased and sold in an on-site retail space, which also includes locally produced snacks, art, and crafts. Additionally, the facility includes a therapy room for mental health and wellness, a cafeteria for social connection and camaraderie, a training room for continuous skills and business development, and a shade house managed by the team, further promoting self-sufficiency and sustainable growth.
First Lady Ali emphasized that the initiative is not about charity, but inclusive development—a model of progress that transforms lives by ensuring that no one is left behind.
“This center reflects our government’s steadfast belief that infrastructure, social services, and innovation must come together in ways that transform lives—especially for those most vulnerable among us,” she said.
She applauded the government’s wider agenda, led by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, to ensure that development means more than roads and bridges—it means building pathways of opportunity.
Through increased social protection programs, persons with permanent disabilities now receive lifetime public assistance, and adults and children with disabilities have received one-off cash grants to support their well-being and growth.
