Byderabo residents in search of a better place to stay

IF YOU take a trip to Bartica, Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region Seven) and travel just beyond the hustle and bustle of this budding town, you will stumble across the quiet community of Byderabo. Like many other parts of Bartica, Byderabo has seen some improvements in the form of new roads and other facilities in the recent past. But, as is the case with many communities, as well, poverty lingers in the lives of some residents, who hope that one day their circumstances will change.

This is the case of a group of residents who live in a dilapidated building lodged on an old pontoon along the Essequibo River in Byderabo. The structure, which is currently leaning into the Essequibo River, poses real dangers to those who occupy the premises and its inhabitants are calling on the authorities to assist them with finding proper housing as they can ill afford to purchase lands or rent homes.

The families that reside in this structure consist of children as young as one month old. “Me nah frighten you know…we ain’t get nowhere else to go, so we have to make do with this place,” one resident told the Pepperpot Magazine during a visit recently.

LIMITED TIME

While this may be the only place they can afford, however, the structure -which was built years ago -belongs to a nearby sawmill and the proprietors have since been reportedly threatening to destroy the property, which will leave these people homeless. “The people them keep coming to us because the building going down into the river. Soon it gonna fall with we inside but we have nowhere to go,” said Patsy McDonald, another resident.
McDonald told the Pepperpot Magazine that while she understands why her family of four – which occupies a tiny room in the building-has to relocate, it is not as easy as it may seem. “I have no money. I depend on my children. I don’t work anywhere and me nah got education,” she explained as she pointed to her eldest son, Lloyd McDonald.

The young man, who is clearly frustrated by his circumstances, told this publication that the threats by the owners of the building are unfair. “The boss man [names given] them does call… He can’t put people out like this…we ain’t got anywhere to go,” he said. Lloyd said the building has been leaning into the Essequibo River for all of the three years they have been living there.

“We got to get a place to move soon because we really can’t live here,” he said while accepting the dangers associated with his family occupying the premises. He told the Pepperpot Magazine that his family is afraid for their lives.“You know how much time the zinc fly off? Anytime a harder breeze blow might be the whole place gone. That one side is pulling so anytime now the entire thing will fall. The other side getting rotten and we can’t stay here,” he said.

SOMEWHERE TO STAY

Things are currently rough for the family of four as Lloyd is the breadwinner. He explained that in the past, he had secured a plot of land located at ‘5 Miles’. Unfortunately, he has misplaced his birth certificate, his national identification card and the documents received from the Housing Authority.

He is working to retrieve his documents and then return to the housing authority with the hope of obtaining his land. “I don’t need anywhere fancy. I just want my family to be safe…we are not rich people and we just want somewhere to stay,” he pleaded.
The young man told the Pepperpot Magazine that he has had discussions with Bartica Mayor, Gifford Marshall who has promised to provide assistance the best way he can.

“I had everything but everything loss in the bush,” he said noting that the average cost to rent a house in Bartica is $30,000 monthly. “Right now is me alone. My brother works but not a full week. Foh rent a house out here, I can’t really pay that money- me alone,” he stated.

As he spoke to this newspaper about his circumstance, his younger sister, Juanita sat at the door gazing at passersby. She said nothing but shook her head in dismay. Asked where the family lived before they moved to the structure on the pontoon, Patsy said over the years they were frequently moving because of their inability to pay rent.
“We get put out and is how come we come here,” she said, noting that she is dependent on her children to find a way out of the situation.

Meanwhile, Sereeta Tyman, a 27-year-old mother of two told the Pepperpot Magazine that she has been living there for seven years. She, like the McDonald family, was forced to move out of a house she had occupied.
“After we move out from the scheme, we end up here. The people them what we did living by ask back for the house. We have been trying to find somewhere but place hard fuh get up here suh,” she said.

She stood outside of her room with her young daughter. She noted that the living conditions are not favourable but she has no choice. At the time of the interview, Tyman had just taken home her 11-day old baby.
“We actually ask people but they said them ain’t got nowhere,” she said while calling on the authorities to assist in providing temporary housing for her family.

SOLE BREADWINNER

She said while she does not work, he husband takes care of the family. He is a carpenter who would, from time to time, venture into the hinterland in search of jobs. Tyman said she has never applied for land as she has no official documents.
The situation was no different for the Andrews’ family. Eighteen-year-old Julian Andrews is the breadwinner for his family which consists of his mother, 14-year-old brother and a younger sibling. He works with a garbage company but while he does not earn much money, the young man vows to pay a rent once he could secure somewhere to live.
His family has occupied the dilapidated structure for some two years. Prior to going there, they had lived in an old house which collapsed. Despite the dangers, Andrews said he was not afraid of living there. “Me ain’t frighten but I want somewhere to go,” he said softly, as his mother who speaks only her native indigenous language, looked on.

THE WAY FORWARD
Bartica Mayor Gifford Marshall told the Pepperpot Magazine that the situation is a dire one and efforts are being made to assist the persons who occupy the dilapidated structure. He said meetings were held with the families and work is being done with the Ministry of Housing to see how best they can be housed.
“They have been occupying there for decades,” said Marshall, who pointed out the dangers of living in the leaning structure.

Similarly, Mark Ambrose, a board member of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) in Bartica described the situation as “serious.” He told the Pepperpot Magazine that efforts are first being made to have the occupants obtain the required documents to transact business. “Without that we cannot do anything else. In order for them to own a piece of land they have to ID cards,” he remarked.

Ambrose said that representation has been made at the level of the CH&PA board for the affected persons but noted that initial steps have to be made by those affected.
“We as a board are looking at how and what can be done to assist persons who have limited income. We are doing some roof replacement for hinterland areas- have been trying to get lands and have surveys done to release lands in Bartica,” he explained.
Ambrose disclosed that in and around certain parts of the mining town, there are many houses which are just “camp frames” as lots of persons there do not own lands. “It is our intention to assist these persons…we are working to have a housing drive here but it should be noted that lands given out under the previous administration were not properly distributed. Some persons were given two and three lots,” he stated.
He said should lands be made available, efforts can be made to partner with agencies like Food for the Poor to provide housing to those in need.