2 SVGCC Agriculture students make history in SVG

From left: Ms. Azuba Adams – Head of the Hospitality and Agriculture Department of the DTVE, Scholarship recipients Kemelia Samuel and Zayle Lewis (center-left and centre-right), and Dean of the DTVE – Mr. Osborne Bowens (right).

By Admin. Updated 1:17 p.m., Thursday, April 11, 2024, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

Two students of the Division of Technical and Vocational Education of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College made history as the first two recipients in SVG of the Helen’s Daughters Scholarship.

The two female students enrolled in the Agriculture Science and Entrepreneurship Programme at the Division of Technical and Vocational Education are Zaylie Lewis and Kemelia Samuel.

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According to Michker Edwards, a lecturer at the college, the scholarship covers their tuition fees for the duration of their programme at the college.

Helen’s Daughters is a St. Lucia based organization, founded in 2016, it is a non-profit organization that provides assistance to women engaged in agriculture.

Ms. Edwards said Helen’s Daughter is currently operating in three Caribbean countries, namely St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Kitts and Nevis.The primary objective of this organization is to foster the economic advancement of women residing in rural areas.

This is achieved via enhanced market access, capacity-building initiatives, and adaptive agricultural techniques. Helen’s Daughters operates at the grassroots level by offering structured care systems, mentorship programs, capacity-building training, and micro-investment opportunities to rural women producers, Ms. Edwards said during her opening remarks.

These women have historically faced limited recognition and support within the agricultural sectorin the past. Since the inception 2021, more than two hundred Vincentian women have received training from the Helen’s Daughter Ag-academy, of which with approximately over 130 successfully completing the program. Sustainable agriculture, marketing linkages, food safety, financial literacy, nutritional marketing, and agritourism are all components of the Ag-Academy program, she said.

Meanwhile, the recipients thanked the organizers for the opportunity, and the Dean of the Division, Mr. Osborne Bowens urged the students to make the best of the opportunity. He also reiterated the DTVE’s commitment to be a bastion of support for rural students who are into agriculture and need formal training.