A developing community of hospitable people

FRIENDSHIP Village is located on the East Bank of Demerara and it is a relatively large-sized community which is divided into two sections. It has several large businesses, shipyards, roadside establishments and is bordered by the Demerara River and vast backlands. Friendship is between Garden of Eden and New Hope villages and it is home to multi-ethnic Guyanese of Indo and Afro descent. The people of Friendship are as friendly as the name of the village and the residents quickly develop friendships with others, which makes them stand out from the rest.

They are ready to offer fruits from their kitchen gardens and a cool drink, as their way of welcoming people to their village. The people of this community are farmers who rear livestock, poultry and others have jobs outside the village, while some own small businesses. The village runs deep down to the backlands and it has a few developing housing schemes. The village has a secondary school, the Ministry of Education Department and the Ministry of Health Department as well.

It has a few churches and the public road is often busy with speeding vehicles which is a concern for locals, due to the high number of road accidents and fatalities they have witnessed, over time. Friendship is a place where the people take care of their environment by planting flowers, plants, fruit trees and vegetables and they can be regarded as a self-sufficient people, who make do with what they have around them.

The Councillor

Meanwhile, the Pepperpot Magazine met Councillor Simone Jordan, whose yard was flooded when the team visited and she had bought yet another truckload of sand to fill her yard.
Jordan reported that they have had some de-silting done to the trenches and canals in the village and in 2009 the Social Impact Amelioration Programme (SIMAP) had a project in which three entering streets and two cross streets were made into all-weather roads.

She added that the youths could use some recreation and skills training to boost their employment skills and some youths are involved in football under the guidance of a coach, who resides in the village. The councillor disclosed that the village has about five kokers/sluices, but at present only two are operational. Friendship is one of the largest villages along the East Bank corridor.