By Michel Outridge

LORAINE Kingston left her hometown of Wauna, Region One (Barima-Waini) at age 19 along with her teenage sister after they were promised employment in the city.

However, when they reached the city after taking the arduous overnight trip via the ferry, they were told by their aunt that the positions of maids which they were promised were filled.

Kingston said she felt disappointed when they were informed that there was no work for them, but she was determined to stay and find employment while her sibling returned home.

“We were at the wharf waiting to go back home and I saw my aunt and I asked her if I can’t stay with her and find work and she agreed, so that’s how I managed to get by,” she said.

Kingston stayed with another aunt and did odd jobs, including working in a Chinese restaurant as a waitress and doing domestic work at many places to make ends meet.

“When I left home for work and a better life, I was determined to make it one day and today I can say I have somewhere to live, even though it was hard, but I am content,” she said.

Kingston added that she used to reside at Bagotville and work with some Brazilians to make an honest living and stood her ground all those years to ensure she wasn’t taken advantage of.

The mother of three is a resident of Bendroff Village, East Bank Essequibo and has been in that community since 1993.

Kingston explained that she resided in the homes of relatives who were abroad as a caretaker and when they returned home she had to find her own home.
At the plot where she is residing she has a farm of fruits and vegetables and her husband is a local.

Kingston still works within the community as a domestic helper twice per week and was tending to her two grandchildren when the Pepperpot Magazine visited.

“I went back to my village after 22 years and a lot of things have changed, but I am accustomed to the place [where] I am now so I don’t want to return there to live,” she said.

Her mother and siblings still reside in Wauna and she may visit them again if the need arises.

In her spare time she would make cassava bread and sell, but would like to have potable water, electricity and a better road in the community to lighten the residents’ burden.

Meanwhile, a few doors down the dam is the home of Rose Kingston, who is originally from the Pomeroon River.

She has a cottage and resides with her children and husband, a farmer.

The 46-year-old disclosed that where jobs are concerned it is difficult finding employment, as such, she is a stay-at-home mom of six.

Some of the children are grown and married, while the two youngest reside with her.

She has been a resident of Bendroff Village for the past 17 years when her parents came out looking for work.

Presently, Kingston is distressed because her mother is hospitalised and is terminally ill with cancer and she is trying to keep it together.

Her father who is 70 years old is still able-bodied and working.

Kingston stated that she has 10 siblings and they are scattered across the country, mostly with their families.

“We try with the farm planting red beans, potatoes, fruits and vegetables that we use in the kitchen and to sell,” she said.

The Pepperpot Magazine also met her husband, Trevor Kingston, who has just returned home from the farm.

“We are here trying with life and we are making the most of it, but life will be better if we can get the basic facilities needed to enhance our lives at the back here,” she said.

This family is rearing some chickens for domestic use and they also have a parrot and a monkey as pets.