IT has always been my desire to visit and explore the intriguing Albouystown, in south-west Georgetown. But quite honestly, I was so perturbed by the negative tales I would overhear each time I mouthed my intention, that I just kept deferring my visit time after time.Well here I was since I was summoned by a few friends there to visit the area. While socialising at a karaoke bar, the two men who are loyal readers of our Sunday Pepperpot supplement complained that while I was visiting other villages, I had actually never came to their area.
So here I was, humping and bumping my way on a “cork ball” mini-bus to mingle and interact with the residents.
On arrival there, I was actually taken aback by the somewhat charming yesteryear aura of the area and pleasantly surprised by the much more appealing appearance of some areas. This, according to some residents, were the results of cleaning efforts by the former Government before exiting office, as well as the extensive clean-up campaign that swept Guyana when the new Government took office recently.
Well, at first, some persons were a bit timid and reluctant to speak to me, but I just brought my “ghetto persona” to the forefront and quite soon they were warming and opening up to me.
Of course I bought coconut biscuits, fruit juice and pholouri from some vendors and we were soon chatting away as I digested the very tasty snack items.
Albouystown is a place with a very small population in the region of Demerara-Mahaica, Guyana.

Sunrise in this location is often expected around 05:42hrs and sunset at 18:12 hrs. This area carries Latitude readings of. 6.8000°, with Longitude recorded at 58.1667°.

INTERACTING WITH THE PEOPLE
Our first stop was to chat with food vendor Celeste Liverpool, with whom I am closely associated.
And while she made it clear that she was not going to be deliberating on any negatives, she however saluted the location as an appealing village where residents still battle with challenges they face.
“I am going to be honest enough to face the fact that Albouystown is surrounded with a lot of negativity. Yes, we have seen some not-so-welcoming characters emerging from this location, but that aside, Albouystown is really a nice area with lots of hard-working and industrious citizens who really mean well…we do face many challenges here, and among them is the problem of bad drainage which has been plaguing us for years… we have been forced to live in an area that floods terribly the minute we have heavy rainfall… and with the drainage being bad, we are left at the mercy of water-borne diseases and other health hazards. It is my hope that this new Government will look into our plight so that our younger ones coming up can live in a much cleaner and healthy environment.”
This woman however admitted that some residents are to be blamed to some extent for the flooding, because of their careless disposal of waste and garbage in drains.
Commenting on recent flooding in the area that occurred after little rainfall, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) had indicated that a leakage in the Sussex Street sluice door had caused the problem. According to a press release issued by the ministry, the high water level being experienced was because of a damaged gate groove in the concrete sill of the sluice.
The release noted that while every effort will be made to correct the sluice door defect, this will have to be done in the upcoming dry period as the inlet and outlet have to be blocked off to facilitate the removal and repair of the damaged door.
Sections of Albouystown and surrounding communities woke up to unusually high water just recently, despite the fact that there had been no heavy rainfall around that time.
Public Relations Officer of the M&CC, Royston King, had apologised to residents for the inconvenience and hardship caused by the incident. He also reiterated the council’s commitment to working with the Public Infrastructure Ministry to rectify the problem at the earliest opportunity.
However, some residents are of the view that the Sussex Street canal needs desilting to allow a faster outflow of water during the rainy season.
Junior Wilson, who is a carpenter by profession, lamented on the issue of outsiders coming to the area in the wee hours of the night and disposing of their garbage on the street shoulders.
“People come from outside our village to make our lives a living hell by dumping their garbage on our road shoulders. And one area that seems to be more targeted is Sussex Street which is never out of huge garbage heaps…. Look, the other night we had to chase some individuals in a truck who were trying to commit this beastly act and the other day I was walking in the same area late in the afternoon, when a car pulled up and two men dumped a dead pig by the street corner. The decaying animal is now making many residents very uncomfortable.”
Speaking to several youths in the street, we were told that the area is lacking in terms of employment opportunities for them. And many of them feel that opportunities should be made available for them to fine-tune themselves, to learn new skills that can propel them into meaningful jobs.
Rastafarian food vendor Kimbia Persaud, while allowing me to sample some of his delicious ‘Rastafarian cuisine,” was in high praise for the presence of police in the area, noting that this has somewhat managed to lessen the presence of criminal elements there.
He was high in praise for the new Government, but noted that Guyanese should support the efforts of the new Government and do not try to pressure them into making rapid changes.
“I am very happy for the new Government, but I am particularly displeased with the manner in which persons are expecting magic to happen overnight. They need to understand that restoring Guyana to its rightful glory will take a massive, combined effort. They need to stop expecting major changes in just a little over two months of office for the new administration. It will take time, but from what I am seeing, we are certainly on the right track and we are in the right hands…The Government is too young to bring about the major changes some people are expecting in such a little time…They just need to be patient…”
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
At the moment, the An-Najim Masjid and Social Centre is making quite a difference in the lives of many residents and youths by offering Family Guidance and Counselling, Women’s Education and Development, Skills Training, Literacy Classes, Social Relief and Welfare for the elderly and differently abled people.
That aside, the Albouystown Technical Centre (a collaborative effort between the Free Mission Church of Finland and Full Gospel Fellowship, Guyana) is making a difference there also.
This institution is empowering the community in technical and vocational skills and offers classes in computer training, electrical installation, tailoring, sewing, mathematics, English Language and much more. The facility which also has a library and research centre, offers counselling for HIV, teenage pregnancy and domestic abuse patients, a feeding programme, and a medical outreach life- enhancement training.
While Albouystown is plagued with challenges, there are a notable few who have tried to help residents and have contributed in one way or another to their well-being.
Amongst these are the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG) in collaboration with the Guyana Police Force ‘A’ Division, who just recently
has donated hundreds of shoes to schools in the area.
The move was part of the CIOG and the GPF’s Community Initiative to improve the lives of children in the area. The joint organisations made donations to three schools, including the Albouystown and Selma Fraser Nursery schools.
Coordinator of the CIOG initiative, Omar Cooper, had said that the group would usually make presentations to persons and organisations in the area and is proud to be collaborating with the ‘A’ Division of the Guyana Police Force.
Caren Charles and Yolanda Hassan, head teachers of the Albouystown and Selma Fraser Nursery schools, expressed their gratitude for the initiative.
In 2013 also the community had got a facelift when several Muslims, in
a demonstration of civic pride, took to cleaning up the area which is often referred to as the ghetto by many.
The clean-up campaign was organised by Masjid An-Najim, GMEI, SGDC, YMCA, True vision Foundation and Harpes Eagles. The initiative was well received by residents.

AN APPEALING COMMUNITY
This community is an appealing array of youths speeding down the street on bicycles and young girls playing hop-scotch in opening fields.
At the street corners in some areas young men sit playing cards, and mothers chat amicably as they rush about getting items for dinner. Young mothers gossip cheerily from open windows and in some yards, young children chase each other screaming in delight.
The combination of a few posh buildings and cottage houses lend a somewhat appealing contrast to the community. One outstanding structure is the Caesar’s Guest House and the Supreme Delight joint where everyone gets the best in creole dishes, fried fish and fresh fruit juices.
There is a well maintained basketball court there and several gyms to keep the sport-oriented in tip-top shape. And of course the holy at heart can worship at the An-Najim Masjid or the Epiphany Lutheran Church.
At many corners one can see women selling tasty plantain chips, fried channa and such like on small stalls in front of their houses.
Many would gather every Sunday when Suresh Mohabir and Kimbia Persaud would share free samples from their Rastafarian kitchen. And at weekends, it’s non-stop revelling at the ‘Ghetto Flex Bar’ and everyone is assured of a rollicking time.
Despite the tales of high criminal activity, one has to agree that Albouystown, if moulded under the right hands, can in time become one of the more appealing communities in this our beautiful Guyana.