On Friday, September 25, 2026, the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD), with support from ExxonMobil Guyana, launched Phase 7 of its Inclusive Innovators; STEM and Life Skills Clubs for Children with Disabilities Programme. The launch was held at the headquarters of ExxonMobil Guyana, Ogle, East Coast Demerara. Delivering the feature address was Dr. Deborah London on behalf of Dr. Keon Cheong, Assistant Chief Education Officer for Special Education Needs of the Ministry of Education. Also delivering remarks were, Ms. Nakisha Burns, ExxonMobil Guyana’s Public and Government Affairs Manager, Mr. Ganesh Singh, GCOPD Programme Manager, and Ms. Mekyla Belgrave, a past beneficiary who shared her experience of the programme.
Through the Inclusive Innovators programme, 320 children with disabilities will receive STEM training, including robotics technology. This will be done through targeted practical sessions, guest lectures, educational tours and special projects. All beneficiaries will receive rehabilitation counselling. Additionally, sensitisation sessions will be conducted with parents of children with disabilities to provide guidance on how they can best support their children. In this phase, nine Inclusive Innovators Clubs will be maintained and three specialised STEM clubs will be established. These will be in Regions 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Targeted sessions will be conducted with children with disabilities in Regions 1 and 10.
In her remarks, Dr. London on behalf of Dr. Cheong highlighted the significant impact of the programme on the children with disabilities in the SEN schools by increasing their understanding of the field of STEM and the possible careers for persons with disabilities in this field. She reminded all in attendance the importance of measuring success by impact on the beneficiaries and not only numbers. Dr. London further highlighted the need to tailor the current curriculum to include more children with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities in order to ensure that these individuals can have a better understanding of the STEM field.
In her remarks Ms. Burns recognized that meaningful development can only be achieved when no one is left behind. While STEM education remains a key pillar of ExxonMobil Guyana’s community investment strategy, the company’s support for Phase 7 programme reflects a commitment to fostering inclusion by creating opportunities for children with disabilities to learn, discover, create, and contribute.
While addressing the participants, Mr. Singh emphasised the impact of GCOPD’s Inclusive Innovators Programme on the lives of the approximately 1500 beneficiaries and their families across Guyana over the past seven years. He also shared how the programme has exposed children with disabilities to robotics technology, programming, career pathways in STEM, among other STEM related training. He shared with those in attendance the evolution of the programme to include life skills training to enhance the beneficiaries’ public speaking, problem solving, and critical thinking skills, understanding of teamwork, among other important life skills. Mr. Singh also encouraged children with disabilities to pursue careers in STEM.
In sharing her experience as a past beneficiary, Ms. Mekyla Belgrave lamented the exposure she received through the programme, such as developing her skills as a person who is blind in coding, robotic technology and story creation. She also highlighted the impact of the programme in helping her to increase her knowledge in the field of STEM. Ms. Belgrave shared with the attendees her success in a mainstream STEM robotics competition in which her team won a special prize.
