By Michel Outridge

JAILALL Samaroo is a resident of Corriverton, Upper Corentyne, Berbice and although he is not originally from that community, he has made a home and business for himself and family.

He left his hometown of Fyrish, Corentyne, in the 1980s when his application for employment was never acknowledged at the Labour Office in New Amsterdam.

Samaroo recalled he was job seeking and after he got no response at the age of 16 years old he heard through the grapevine that Skeldon Sugar Estate wanted workers.

Feeling dejected, he left Fyrish Village and came to Corriverton, where he found work as a cane-cutter.

He stated that back then he had exited the formal school system at a young age and entered the world of work because he was the eldest of his eight siblings and they depended on him to support the home.

Thus, he was forced into the workforce and was living in a small house and after some years he got married and managed to buy a property where he currently resides.

“From cutting cane I established myself; I saved some money from what I had and I build my life over the years,” he said.

Samaroo added that his wife is from Corriverton and having married, he remained in that village where he has four children, who assist wih the business.

The Corriverton resident stated that some years ago he decided to invest in buying and selling plucked and live chickens and it was successful.

Today, he has his own poultry farm and a small mini-mart, all of which operates from his house.

Samaroo told the Pepperpot Magazine that he struggled as a man and a father to acquire his own business and used to even sell chickens in the market.

The Samaroos have their own poultry farm at Albion, Corentyne, and they sell chickens and eggs, both retail and wholesale.

His business employs two persons from the community and his wife and children also lend a helping hand to manage the family business.

Samaroo added that at times when life seems difficult it is easy to give up, but one has to pursue positive thoughts to have things happen for themselves.

“Over the years I often thought things wouldn’t get better for me and with that in mind I never stopped working; and today I don’t have to work with anybody,” he said.

Samaroo pointed out that the people of Corriverton are hardworking, honest people, who depended on the sugar estate and after its closure, they had to seek alternative jobs elsewhere.

Today, many have farms and sell their produce to provide incomes to their homes.

The Samaroos own and operate J. Samaroo and Sons Live and Plucked Chicken business at Public Road, Upper Corentyne.

Self-sufficient
Ganga Mohan Nauth, is 73 years old and has a store at Corriverton Public Road.

Nauth disclosed that owning a business takes a lot of work and it is the ‘staying power’ that keeps the door of the business open.

He is from Springlands and has another store there, but he manages the store at Corriverton, while his wife operates the former.

Nauth has been in the business for a couple of years and reported that things are slow due to COVID-19 and with many people out of jobs, there is no spending power by the people along that corridor.

He opens daily for a few hours and would make the commute to Springlands and his business is supported by the locals and passers-by.

Sharing his knowledge about the community, Nauth told the Pepperpot Magazine that the Corriverton Arch was constructed 47 years ago and he was a small boy when that took place.

It is an event he vividly remembers to date and recalled that times from then to now are very different but noted that ‘business has to go on’.