MORE than 40 years ago, Zita Daniels and her entire family left their village of Moruca in search of a better life and settled in Laluni, Soesdyke-Linden Highway, as tobacco planters.

Today, Daniels is serving as the village leader for the Laluni Village Office and is still a farmer, whose entire family resides in the community.

She plants cherries, sorrel and coconuts, which are sold outside the village. The 66-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that there is a need for more development in the community, but as part of the Village Office, they try to work with villagers through self-help to get things done.

Work of the Village Council
Daniels pointed out that the Village Council has an executive body of six members and they do their utmost to develop the community.

She stated that they aim to become self-reliant and they even go into their own pockets to do things when funding dries up.

Daniels added that the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs assists the Village Council annually with a grant of $1 million, which is used to upgrade the community.

She explained that money was used to complete the Multi-Purpose Building, upgrade the playfield and re-commission the old well which was built by Food For The Poor and was defunct.

Daniels stated that the well is operational and was outfitted with a trestle and six black tanks for storing water.

She told the Pepperpot Magazine that they, however, got a presidential grant of $5 million and bought a minibus, which is used to transport schoolchildren and residents.

Daniels added that part of the money was also used to purchase pipelines for 18 houses where they can access potable water supply from the well, but that project is on hold because of the lack of funds.

She noted that they will pool their resources and buy PVC paste to set up the system soon.

Needs
But as with every community in the process of development, Daniels noted that there are some improvements that the residents wish to see.

“In this community, there is a lot of things we need. The first thing is our road, and it wasn’t properly done about three years ago. We have children going to school and have to travel every day as far as Diamond, Soesdyke, and Dora Secondary Schools. It is very costly for those who don’t have farms and have to work with others. Many children dropped out of school after going for about two to three years because they cannot afford it,” Daniels said.

She pointed out that although they have a Multi-Purpose Building, they don’t have the people with the skills to engage youths, especially those who drop out of school, in life skills training.

Daniels added that the Multi-Purpose Building is located about an hour’s walk from her home where they have computers.

“I do farming with my brothers and it is in the entire Number Four Laluni area and when it rains, our crops are underwater, since there is no proper drainage system here. Another problem we can’t seem to get rid of is the acushi ants, which tear down and destroy our cherries, sorrel and other plants. We have tried different chemicals to get rid of it [sic] but to date, we were not successful and we need professional help at least from the people at the agriculture department,” Daniels said.

Life in Laluni, she stated, is not easy but she has adapted to the way of life since she left her home village of Moruca and came to Moblissa as a farmer; when the tobacco company Demerara Tobacco Co. Ltd. (Demtoco) closed its operations in Laluni, they settled there.

She related that Demtoco closed its operations in Laluni in the 1970s and they had to resort to farming.

Even though land is abundant in Laluni, residents don’t have land titles, but the land was sectioned off into four parts and people live and plant there.

Daniels told the Pepperpot Magazine that she and the Village Chairman Aaron De Freitas had approached Minister Dawn Hastings-Williams and she promised to assist in that regard.

She stated that apart from farming, she rears ducks which are plucked and sold to regular buyers and since there is no storage for meat, they eat fresh duck meat daily.