Simonique Cain pursuing a Level 2 CVQ in House Keeping.
INTRODUCTION
Simonique Cain hails from Grand Sable, Georgetown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. She has no children and lives with her sister and two nieces. Her mother resides overseas. Georgetown was once a striving rural community when sugar-cane and bananas dominated local agriculture. Following the decline in the sugar and banana industries, Georgetown now has the highest incidence of poverty. According to the S.V.G. Country Poverty Assessment (2007/2008), 55.6 percent of residents in Georgetown/ Sandy Bay district were deemed to be poor. This is the reality of families like Simonique’s.
Her situation is further complicated by the fact that she has a rare birth defect called Hanhart Syndrome which is in the group of conditions known as Oromandibular-limb hypogenesis syndromes (OLHS). These syndromes are characterized by underdevelopment of the limbs. Simonique’s left hand and foot are also affected. It is for this reason, coupled with other underlying medical conditions, she was unable to complete schooling at the primary level. “The doctor said I will not be able to cope with school,” she intimated.
EXPERIENCE WITH SKYE PROGRAMME
At age 27 she is now pursuing a Level 2 CVQ in House Keeping at the Georgetown Technical institute, funded by UKaid under the SkYE programme. “I find it to be a bit challenging but at the end of the day I want to achieve something good for myself, I have the time, and this is something I always wanted to do,” she reveals.
Simonique was apprised of the programme by a friend who encouraged her to apply. She then obtained an application form, applied, and was accepted. “I saw it as a good opportunity to uplift myself,” she says.
In S.V.G, just getting accepted into the programme is seen as a major accomplishment for her, given the challenge that she is differently abled. Her family, including her mother, was very elated over her participation. She declares, “they feel happy that I am doing something and not wasting my life away”.
HOPE BEYOND DISABILITY
SkYE promotes opportunities for young people with disabilities so that trainees like Simonique can acquire basic work readiness training (both basic technical and life skills training, as well as literacy and numeracy). This programme will allow her to compete for employment or further training opportunities whereas before, as she notes, “I was not doing anything, I never worked.”
Simonique intends to become an independent, successful woman where she is able to help others in much the same way others have assisted her. “I want to be the owner of my future” was her response to a question pertaining to her hopes and dreams. She thinks the programme has helped to boost her confidence. “I never thought I could have done it, but I have faith and confidence in myself”, she says. She thinks that obtaining a skill is especially important and implores young people like herself to get trained and certified.
FACTS
The Skills for Youth Employment (SkYE) is a four year, UKaid-funded programme to provide certified skills training for 6,000 disadvantaged young people, including those challenged by disability, in four Eastern Caribbean countries: Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent & the Grenadines. The Programme will develop a more productive and inclusive workforce in sectors with good economic growth potential.
SkYE is supporting national training authorities and training providers to make systemic improvements to the development, delivery and quality assurance of technical, vocational education and training (TVET) in the four focus islands through targeted capacity building.
