SOPHIA has recently been in the news; and not for the first time. Those with good memories may recall the first stirrings of this community, when the first squatters attempted to erect dwellings. They were ordered removed in circumstances that will not detain us here; except to say, that sometime after, permission was given.

What then began with just a few dozen persons, braving what can be described as jungle, soon grew into the hundreds, then the thousands, as persons from many parts of our coastlands, staked their claim to land in this once canefield.
Today, Sophia is now one of the largest housing communities, with an estimated 13000 – 14000 persons now residing there.
To say that this now regularized housing community suffered deprivations, is to be conservative in our description of a community that experienced literal sufferings, pain, associated with accessing unknown territory for living.

These people, working class in nature, but including large families with children, and single moms, from all races, did not have the courtesies of the well-known One-Stop-Shop method of house lot distribution, with banking advisory services, and facilities for title, that were known to visit locales where applicants had applied for house lots. Most residences, whether modest, or large, have been built without recourse to mortgages/bank loans.
What at the moment is Sophia has been primarily developed by those residents, who in the early beginnings did not have even water pipes in their yards, no electricity, or where there were, most were via illegal connections; grass tracks, instead of roads. In fact, the story is well known of residents trekking to the residence of a former Army Chief of Staff, who was kind enough to offer water services from his yard.
We recall, a then Peoples National Congress/Reform(PNC/R)Member of Parliament, whose offer to install water supply infrastructure was instantly disallowed by the PPP/C Minister of Housing and Water. That was how much that government had cared about some communities.

In essence, Sophia had been a neglected community that was even socially discriminated against by the society, generally. Comments were mostly socially prejudicial. But these comments failed to take into consideration that there were residents who originated from varying backgrounds. We all know the challenges that come from such circumstances. These have been just the same that come from individual persons from what is traditionally termed as residential.

But that was a very long time ago. Of course, there is still illegal squatting, which the coalition government, A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change(APNU+AFC), along with the concerned residents are now seeking to resolve permanently, with offers to build core homes for those who cannot afford to do so.

What commenced as shacks for early dwellers, have now been elevated to well- designed residences, with modern amenities, such as telephones, internet, and well-kept yards. Also, since May 2015, this community has seen exponential improvements in the providing of critical social infrastructure such as a potable water supply system, that now flows into homes; well surfaced roads, and electrical lights in A, B, and C Fields. Recently, the North Sophia Road was paved; and there are road lights now illuminating that entire locale.
These are improvements which have been long overdue. Numerous were the appeals by these residents, to the former People’s Progressive Party/Civic government for amenities to improve their community. But none was forthcoming, at least not the type that this well-deserving community is now receiving from this new dispensation. In plain language – The PPP/C government did not see Sophia as one of theirs. It was a pattern of governance that guided the former as to which area got what, and why.

Among its thousands of residents are young attorneys, doctors, and other public service professionals; mostly born in the very late ‘80s and into the ‘90s. They understood what parental struggle is all about, endeavouring to establish a home for them. Many would have walked through muddy tracks to attend school. Now, they are the proud social products of a community that was birthed in dire hardship, now coming into its own as a respected community.

The not-so-long ago, Ministry of Communities consultations with the entire Sophia community, is built towards further elevating the social environment of this community. In another ten years, with the inputs of community centres, playfields, walkways, better drainage, installation of further electrification, and of course, roads – Sophia will be able to claim the right as an urban community in every sense of the description.
Sophia is rising.