By Michel Outridge

Dwayne Dexter is making the most of his life by being the captain of the Kuru Kuru Lions Football Team but also works as a block maker.

The 21-year-old is very enthusiastic about football since growing up. He was so passionate about it he would play with his peers every chance he got.

In primary school, he played with a team and in secondary school, he developed his skills and reached the point where he became captain of his village team.
The team has competed and performed well in many games but they require sponsorship and gear to be better equipped to compete regionally.

They are versed in Seven-A-Side games and the team comprises of 10 youths from the community of mixed ages.

“We have the potential to win at competitions but we need the push to hone in on our competitive edge,” he said.

Dexter told the Pepperpot Magazine that most times they would play friendly games within the confines of the village.

“Things are not easy here but we try with what we have and we are hoping for better,” he said.

Ray Ferrier and his shop

The Pepperpot Magazine also encountered Ray Ferrier, a local, who owns a small shop in the village.

One of his two sons is the NDC Chairman and they are both taxi drivers during the day in the city.

The brothers would make the daily commute to Georgetown to earn and return to their home at nightfall.

Ferrier explained that he retired from the position as NDC Chair and his son Oscari Ferrier stepped up for the position.

He disclosed that the village is a Coop Society and is sparsely populated with about 100 families.

Ferrier added that the village has been in existence for about 45 years and was established by the New Highway Producers Coop Society.

He has been residing in Kuru Kuru for the past 11 years and when there was a flood in 2015 he was looking for higher lands and acquired a plot in the community and relocated there.

“When we first came here we were so at peace and comfortable it was three months after we went to the city,” he said.

Ferrier reported that the lands are controlled by the Coop and some lands are privately-owned while some are leased.

“This place needs a boost for the people here because they are struggling as is and the youths need skills training centre to learn a trade where they can become self-employed and the younger folk need an ICT hub to access the internet for schoolwork,” he said.

The resident reported that last year the NDC acquired $500,000 and they cleaned up the ball field and filled it with loam and sand making it more habitable.

“The people are making the most of what this village has to offer by burning coals, making blocks or cutting wood,” he said.

Ferrier pointed out that the village needs a lot of assistance to enhance the community and the lives of the residents and for that to happen they need better roads and infrastructure.

“I was a mechanic and a miner but now I am of age and I have the shop to tend to and a kitchen garden and some chickens rearing going on,” he said.

Ferrier disclosed that through the NDC 13 young people were enrolled in a training programme at Yarrowkabra to keep them occupied rather than becoming idle.

He added that there are no wholesome recreational activities as such, the young people are left on their own.

The ‘go-to-person’ in Kuru Kuru
Retired teacher, Francis Little is utilising her skills and knowledge to assist the community as a member of the Coop Society and function as a mentor for the young people.

This elder was instrumental in forming the youth group in the village along with Ray Ferrier and motivated her children to be a part of the organisation to do volunteer work.

As a retired teacher who spends more than 30 years in the teaching profession, she would lend her support to the school children in the village because they would show up and there is no way she can refuse to help.

Little is a respected villager, who is easy to talk to and is always willing to assist in whatever way she can to foster development.

“Through the Coop Society, two youths from the village were selected to undergo skills training at NCERD and they returned to the community to teach others and that’s the kind of thing they promote to enhance the lives of others and the village itself,” she said.

Little disclosed that the community needs a skills training centre for the many idle youths to learn a trade to become marketable in society.

“This community is far away from the city so we don’t get a lot of visitors and the people from town don’t come here so we have to try and do whatever we can to make a living,” she said.

The retired teacher told the Pepperpot Magazine that she has been residing in the village since she was 15 years old and has grown quite attached to the place because she prefer the sand to mud.

These days, Little would spend her time in her yard ensuring her garden is taken care of and would plant even more flower trees to beautify the environment.

The 61-year-old is the mother of eight, all of whom have good jobs, including a captain in the army, an aspiring nurse, an environment officer, and an analyst.

“I always encouraged my children to read and it was vital for their personal growth in academics and even today I still enjoy reading,” she said.

In addition, Little stated that Kuru Kuru not only need a skills training centre but an industry where the young people will be employed because some are qualified with no jobs, as is.

She reported that Kuru Kuru Village has 1,200 acres of land and it would be good for a library to be established, as well.

“I worked hard so I am retired and it is time for me to enjoy my golden years and to read more books,” she said.