Scholar sisters aspire to develop Mabaruma

By Gabriella Chapman

TWO sisters from Mabaruma, Barima Waini have been living their lives to one day be able to develop and enhance the livelihood of the youths in their hometown.

Seventeen-year-old Sueann Daniels and her 16-year old sister Shekesa Daniels, shared their life journey and their future goals, in an interview with the Pepperpot Magazine.
The two sisters grew up in the quiet village with their parents and two younger brothers, practising farming activities and helping out their parents in the small shop they have in front of their yard.

Staying close to home
With having a sound education as a number one priority on their parents’ list for the children, Sueann said she secured a space at President’s College when she wrote the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) but she returned home because she believed that she can excel right at her village school.

“Mabaruma is a very beautiful place, very quiet compared to Georgetown, and people here usually live in peace and harmony, and cooperate with each other to get things done. You can just travel freely without worrying about anything… So I got homesick when I was at President’s College, and persons would think that I would have better opportunities at the school, but I believed I could do just as good in my village,” the young girl said.

She then enrolled in North West Secondary School, “…and I have absolutely no regrets for that decision I made to return to my home,” she added.
The young lady said that her school life at North West taught her a lot of things that prepared her for the future.

“Mainly what I did was public speaking. I wasn’t really good at it, but school taught me to master the art. They taught me debating, then I went to the third annual youth parliament, and it just inspired me to strive to become a voice for my people,” she said.

Proving her point of excelling right in Mabaruma, Sueann graduated last year, with five grade ones and six grade twos in the eleven subjects she wrote at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination.

The employment conundrum
However, due to the limited job opportunities in the region, Sueann said it’s almost a year and she has not yet been able to secure a job.
This, she said, is a recurring issue in the village, and is hindering the development of the potential of their young people.

“A lot of young people in my community have potential, but they are daunted at the fact that there is little to no opportunity for them when they excel in school. Most of us are from poor families and we can’t afford to move to Georgetown to further our studies and get a better life, so we want the opportunities to come to us. It makes no sense getting a lot of subjects at CXC when it will boil down to us having to stay on the farm with our parents or go fishing, as our means of income. We study hard in school because we want a better life for ourselves and families,” the young woman lamented.

Her little sister, Shekesa, echoed similar sentiments. Shekesa is currently in fifth form at North West Secondary, preparing to write her exams in May.
The young girl said they are at a grave disadvantage in the region when it comes to excelling in their exams, but they make use of what they have.

“You’re not really exposed to opportunities here, and it’s not even until after school, during school we suffer from lack of availability of a lot of essential things. For example, we find it difficult when doing practicals for Food and Nutrition. A lot of ingredients we need, we don’t get in Mabaruma. A lot of kitchen tools we don’t have either. Internet access is another issue. We have limited access and that poses a challenge in researching.

The IT lab has computers but they’re not working. It’s really expensive for typing and printing, so getting our SBA’s done is a financial struggle, and that limits the number of subjects we are able to write because we can’t afford it,” Shekesa voiced.

Staying positive
Though there are many challenges, the girls said they make uses of what they have, with hopes of reaping the benefits later.
Shekesa said that her sister has set a good example for her, and she is preparing to write nine subjects, hoping to pass all, and do well like Sueann.
Both sisters, aspire to become women in business, to be able to provide jobs and opportunities for the young people in their hometown.

Sueann said she wants to move on to study Business Management at the University of Guyana.
“There are limited opportunities in Mabaruma for the progression of youths, and I want to be able to help in that regard. I would like to work first, hopefully I get a job soon, save my money and then go off to the University… After that I want to create groups for young people in my community, especially for those who are unemployed, for them to get a chance to be somebody.

Some of them have their skills and talent and so on, but there’s nothing they can do to improve or enhance it. So what I would want to do, is help provide programmes here so that young people can improve. Also, I’d like to open a large business where I can employ persons,” Sueann said.

Meanwhile, Shekesa said she likes to travel and wants to see more of Guyana and experience different cultures.
“I like visiting new places. When I finish school I would like to see my country, explore and discover new things and see what the life and culture of different people and places are like,” she said.
However, her ultimate goal is to become successful in a business career and develop schools in her home place, Mabaruma.