By Michel Outridge

WHEN Shamrool Baksh moved from her home village of Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo, to Belle West Village in 2008, there was nowhere for parents to leave their children while they went to work.,

After requests from desperate parents, she established the Boodhoo’s Playgroup and Day Care Centre on October 18, 2010, a safe place for children while their parents are away at work.

“I always loved children and had a deep passion for their care, so I thought about opening a school and an after-care centre especially for children where they can be in a safe environment,” she said.

Presently, due to COVID-19, the place is closed and will be re-opened when it is safe to do so.

Baksh reported that so far, they have had nine graduations and will have another, where certificates of completion are presented when schools reopen.

Boodhoo’s Playgroup and Day Care Centre admits children from as young as four months old and also has pre-school classes and a drop-in/aftercare section for parents to leave their little ones while they are away from home.

Boodhoo’s Playgroup and Day Care Centre employs two persons and Baksh, who is a qualified child care professional, is attached to the playgroup on a full-time basis.

When classes are in session for Grades one and two, she related that she would even take the children whose parents have to go out on Saturdays until they return.

“The school is a safe place for children of all religions …and it is a disciplined environment where children can learn in our care,” she said.

Baksh admitted that due to the worldwide pandemic, she has suffered a loss of income when she had to close the school but is occupied with household chores.

“As a mother of three I was inspired to open this school because I love children and wanted to provide a service to the villagers and it worked out well,” she said.

One of Baksh’s daughters is a doctor attached to the West Demerara Regional Hospital.

Safo’s Barber, Tattoos and Piercing Shop
This small business is located on the main access road in Belle West Village and is considered the ‘village shop’ where residents would visit to utilise the services.

There, barber Nicholas Persaud was present and was cutting his son’s hair.
Persaud has been a barber and tattoo artist for the past five years after he quit his job as a welder, which he considered life-threatening, so he went in search of a simpler job.

“Being a welder I had to climb heights to work and it wasn’t safe and being in the sun was taking a toll on me and I decided to change jobs,” he said.

Although he is not well-versed in tattooing, he is willing to learn and he did just that by observing his boss, who owns the shop.

Persaud can draw from a carbon copy whatever designs are requested by the customer and he does a good job too.

The father of one related that presently business isn’t going well, but on some weekends they do get a few customers.

Simone Mohan and the NDC
Simone Mohan is the assistant overseer for the Canals Number Two and Two Polder Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC).
She is in charge of supervising the collection of rates and taxes and also guides on spending, updating funds and other clerical duties.

Mohan told the Pepperpot Magazine that the NDC is responsible for the maintenance of drains, trenches and canals within the community that is, east to west and assists in weeding government-owned compounds such as schools, health centres, etc.

She related that as it relates to rates and tax collection,, most residents have been paying up, while some are in arrears and they cannot locate others.

Mohan reported that $3,000 is the fee per year for each villager and they have good relations with the people.

“One of the challenges of this job is that some people come in for our services and they believe you are giving them a hard time, but that is far from the truth, since this system is a process they have to go through,” she said.

The Canals Number Two and Two Polder NDC is managed by 18 councillors, one of whom migrated and has a staff of four and is headed by the chairman.

The NDC covers an area of 35 square miles and the road is seven miles long, a farming community.