DURING a visit to Nismes, West Bank Demerara, the Pepperpot Magazine seized the opportunity to interact with residents who shared their bit about the village and their lives.

Ivan Phillips related that he has been there all his life and works at a private furniture business within the community, which provides for him adequately making his life normal. He said that life in Nismes is good because everybody is doing something meaningful with their lives.

The 30-year-old reported that his friends in the village are mostly soldiers and cops and they get along very well, since they do not tolerate ill behaviour among their peers and life is nice at Nismes.

Chandra Girwar, a mother of two, told the Pepperpot Magazine that she is the sole breadwinner for her household, because her husband and son are not well and she has taken up the task of providing for them.

In addition, she also takes care of her granddaughter and would ensure she is dropped off at school and picked up, but with the car out of order due to the bad state of the road before it was resurfaced, she has to replace some parts.

To do so, she needs some money and she has been home for a few weeks from her job at a fishery business.

“Other than that, we are trying at this end and with good roads now we don’t have to replace car parts often like before [but] some street lights will be nice to go with the roads,” she said.

The 56-year-old stated that Nismes is a quiet place where both Indo and Afro Guyanese co-exist in harmony most times and with employment, things are good.

Another villager, Jonelle Souvenir, told the Pepperpot Magazine that being a mom isn’t easy, but she has her small business of rearing chickens and that is now starting to blossom because she encountered great losses recently, when all the chickens suddenly died.

“So I now bought a fresh batch of chicks and I hope they grow healthy, because I will sell it to continue the process of being self-employed and to sustain my business,” she said.

She is a resident of Electra Housing Scheme, where picture-perfect claybrick houses that are neatly lined up in the street and well-tended yards complement those houses.

“I came here at Electra Housing Scheme 10 years ago with my mom to live and so I am here.
This place is very quiet; if you are looking for that nice country life to rear chickens, or do your own small business,” she said.

Souvenir stated that the people of Nismes are working folk, most of whom are away for most of the day and the ones at home have their own businesses or are rice farmers.

She reported that some people work in offices in the city as well.

One thing that she would like to see, she said, is a playfield for the children and youths of the community, since they have adequate land to accommodate an area for sport activities and recreational purposes.

Electra Housing Scheme has about 20 houses and the people there are familiar with each other, so there are no brewing conflicts or other problems.