Heading up and down this rickety ramp is the daily chore for the children and head-teacher of the Dora Primary School, located up the Demerara River. Up until about five years ago, the children could have walked to school, but the track was blocked off by large sand- mining operations in the area. And so their only option is to use a boat, which is tied to a tree stump after they get off. Sometimes, especially when the river rises, one of the boys would have to get into the river to haul the boat in. No one remembers the last time the “stelling” was fixed.

(Samuel Maughn photo)