Isseneru…
-where making an overseas call is ‘no problema’

AT ISSENERU, a remote village in the Middle Mazaruni in Region Seven (Mazaruni/Cuyuni), villagers enjoy wireless Internet communications, as well as Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) software which allows telephone calls from there to just about anywhere in the world.

There are three spanking new buildings in the village, namely: A school, a teacher’s quarters, and a medical centre.

And the village councillors of this village, with titled lands smack dab in the middle of a rich gold-bearing area, say that these signs of a growing modernity are mere indications of what is yet to come.

An upbeat Toshao, Dhaness Larson, recently spoke with the Chronicle of the growing economic muscle of Isseneru, and some of its development plans.

Larson related that prior to the village receiving its land ownership title, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) had issued permits to miners to conduct mining on lands which were later included as village lands vested in the Isseneru Village Council.

On realising that the Isseneru community would soon receive its land title, the GGMC had stopped the renewal of permits and issued cease orders for miners to stop mining.

But despite the restriction, miners had continued with their illegal mining with no benefits to the community.

In recent months though, the Council, with the assistance of the GGMC, had succeeded in reining in these rogue miners, thereby setting the stage for improving the finances of the village.

The Council is now fully in charge of the mining activities on its titled lands.

Prospective miners now have to sign an agreement to pay a percentage on the gold produced at each ‘wash down’.

Miners are also required to employ villagers first; to purchase all food supplies and fuel from the Council’s trade store, and to adhere to environmentally-friendly mining practices and to rules such as no alcohol and no illegal firearms at mine sites.

Larson, who is a Rural Constable, said: “There are rarely any serious incidents. We have a very friendly relationship with the miners. It is an arrangement that is working smoothly, and is of benefit to both the miners and the village.”

He added that the Council is currently mulling plans to establish its own mining operations as an additional source of revenue for its coffers.

Larson, who took up residence at Isseneru 26 years ago, recalled: “I traveled to Isseneru from Region One (Barima/Waini) on a boat named TRIBAR, and the journey took eight days.”

The village is now accessible by jet-boat from Parika on a journey lasting for about eight hours.

It is also accessible by air, from the Ogle Airstrip to Olive Creek, a flight of about one hour, and from Olive Creek by boat is another journey lasting for an hour and a half.

Larson, who was recently elected Toshao, said that there had been steady development in the village since he took up residence there in the 1980s.

The health centre is playing a vital role, particularly in relation to the diagnosis and treatment of malaria.

This disease is fully under control in this area compared to times in the past when smear slides had to be sent to Georgetown for diagnosis, and were not returned until several weeks had elapsed.

Larson said the health centre and the nursery/primary school were built by the government, while the teachers quarters was built with assistance from the Social Impact Amelioration Programme (SIMAP).

The Council is now considering some of its own projects.

These include the construction of a guest house, the installation of a potable water supply system, and the establishment of improved quality housing for residents.

Direct or indirect proceeds from mining apart, there are other good things in store for Isseneru.

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is funding a project which will enable villagers to sell aquarium fish to markets in Canada at a price of around US$1.50 per fish.

The project is being established by Guyana Environmental Management and Capacity Development Project (GENCAPD) under supervision of the Canadian Centre for Minerals and Energy Technology (CANMET), a division of Natural Resources Canada.

Officials from GENCAPD visited the village and made arrangements to establish a holding pond, and to set up the means for the getting aquarium fish out from the village and to Canada by air.

The aquarium fish project should get going within the next six weeks.

The programme is part of an assistance package to the mining sector from CIDA, with the aquarium fish project being established as a ‘fall-back’ economic activity in the event that there is a decline in mining.