It is easier for Shanaz Mohamed to live away from family because it is very peaceful and quiet without any interference from the busy life as in other villages.
Eric Williams (Carl Croker Photos)
She is a resident of Bendroff Village, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), and is the mother of an energetic and friendly two-year-old boy named Stephen. She resides some distance away from the Harrys, the only house on that side of the dam.
Mohamed is married to a multi-talented farmer, and they cultivate their land and sell the produce in and around the neighbouring villages, wholesale to customers.
Shanaz Mohamed – Photo Credit: (Guyana Chronicle)
The 22-year-old said that she likes the place, but they need a better road and the necessary facilities such as potable water and electricity.They have a generator, and it is used in the nights, while a solar panel powers the lights bulbs.
“Life here is okay, but we don’t have a lot to boast about, but at least we are happy because there is nobody to bother you here, and we work with ourselves,” she said.
She resided at Bendroff Village for the past four years when she got married to a local and constructed a house. Mohamed stated that she utilises the data plan on her cellphone to get up to date with what’s happening, but at times the service is not very good.
“My husband can do more than one job, so whatever is available, he does,” he said.
Mohamed is a stay-at-home mom who hardly goes out unless necessary.
Further up the dam, Eric Williams and his family reside in a small wooden cottage in front of a villager’s farm.He is originally from a remote village in Aruka River, Region One, but relocated to Bendroff since 2017 when he left in search of a better life.
“People promise you the world, and they bring you to work, and then you end up working like a slave without pay, and it is a very distressing situation many faces,” he said.
He is a security guard at nights attached to the Morashee Primary School, miles away, and he uses a boat and a paddle to get to work, which takes 45 minutes or more, depending on the weather.Williams reported that during the day, he would work on his farm, and they would either sell or use their products.
He related that in Morashee Village, there are about nine houses and the Primary School, and it is almost a ghost village because many people have left.
Williams also reported that many Amerindians would leave their villages and come out to work, thinking they would be paid well, but they would be put to work and paid poorly.
He has a five-acre plot of apple bananas and plantains on the brighter side of things and the piece of land he is occupying. He was permitted to erect a house and live by the owner, a compassionate man.
“When I had nowhere to go, the man helped me and told me I could stay here, but as you can see, my house is a work in progress, and I wish to build it better,” he said.
Williams is a very hardworking father, who is doing everything he can to provide for his school-age children and wife, who works as a sweeper cleaner at the Morashee Primary School.
[Extracted and Modified from Guyana Chronicle]
