MANAWARIN is a beautiful and tranquil village located approximately 60 miles from Charity, on the Essequibo Coast. With about 1600 inhabitants, it is the second largest village in the Moruca sub-region of Region One (Barima/Waini).

Minister Whittaker with school children in Manawarin. At left is his wife, Mrs. Beverly Whittaker	Mr. Colin De LaCruz is head master of the St. Nicholas Primary School, pictured above
A hand pump in the village is frequented by schoolchildren	A little shop at the entrance to Manawarin
A major way of getting around Manawarin and its environs	Schoolchildren during a break
Wanita Williams, Manawarin’s only health worker	The health post, nursery school, cum guesthouse

Santa Rosa happens to be the largest sub-region in Region One, which comprises three sub-regions, namely: Matarkai (Matthews Ridge, Arakaka and Kaituma), Moruca and Mabaruma.

A team of officials, led by Minister within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Norman Whittaker, recently paid a visit to Manawarin, where 22-year-old Alvin George is Toshao.

It takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes to get from Charity to Manawarin with a 75hp outboard engine, and groceries are usually supplied here from Charity.

The main income-earning activities at Manawarin are lumbering, subsistence fishing, and farming basic staples used by the Amerindians, such as eddoes, plantains, bananas, etc.

It was very obvious that people here live very simple lives. The major mode of transportation is by boat, but there are a few bicycles in the village, although most people opt to get around on foot.

An 18-mile road from Kumaka (another village in this sub-region) to Manawarin is currently under construction; and once completed, would alleviate a lot of river expenses.

There currently is no police station at Manawarin, but there seems to be a good measure of peace prevailing. A police station is, nevertheless, still needed, residents say.

Another problem exists in the medical area, since just one health worker is present in the village on a daily basis.
That young lady, who grew up at Manawarin, is Wanita Williams. She told the Chronicle that she sees about 10 to 20 patients per day on average, with the number being higher on some days. She is the only health worker there, hence it’s usually difficult for her, she expressed.

When a case is extremely serious, it is referred to Waramuri or Kumaka (other villages in this sub-region).

Williams would love to have another health worker and a midwife to bolster health services in the village. A Medex and a team from Waramuri visit every two or three months.

In addressing students and teachers at the St. Nicholas Primary School, Minister Whittaker said he was happy to see the promise of a new primary school fulfilled by Government. The school has on roll about 500 children.
He encouraged teachers to further their education so as to become trained, and he urged children not to waste their time in school, not to mention the efforts of their parents and Government.

He disclosed that more than 300 doctors would be returning to Guyana from scholarships taken up between 2012 and 2013, and that many of them are Amerindians.