By Michel Outridge

This week the Pepperpot Magazine visited the far-flung community of Vriesland, West Bank Demerara.

IT is sandwiched between Vive-La-Force and Patentia and it is home to about 2,500 people, mostly of East Indian descent and some Afro-Guyanese, who live in relative peace and quiet.

The village is bordered by a long canal, after which there are 16,000 acres of canefields which were used to cultivate sugar cane, but after the closure of the Wales Sugar Estate in 2016, it was later converted into farmlands.

On the other side are houses, the sea dam and the Demerara River, of which farmers from farther down, the villages of Maria’s Lodge, Free and Easy and Calabash Alley. Due to the state of the muddy dam, they would use the river via boats to bring out their produce at the koker.

Just under some shady trees along the roadway, there are shops and some wooden benches for villagers to sit and chat or just have a bit of relaxation.

The nearest health centre is a village away at Viva-La-Force and the nursery and primary schools are next door to the health facility, while the secondary school is at Patentia.

In this village there is no shortage of shops and the greens and grocery vans would visit the community weekly on a drive-through.

The fishermen in the village would sell their catch to locals and some people have kitchen gardens.

The people of Vriesland are farmers, fishermen, teachers, nurses, carpenters, masons, painters and other skilled workers.

Some villagers work outside the community and hold good jobs in offices in both the private and public sectors.

There are more than 206 houses within this community; these are located close to the sea dam and to get to them one must go through alleyways and small walkways.

This village has no shortages of nooks and crannies and from the look of things, people respect each other and go about their daily activities in a civil manner.

For some people, their small businesses are the main sources of their incomes and there are some livestock farmers too.

Vriesland is a unique community because of its quaint appearance and the friendliness of its people.

It is home to Dr. Stephan Foo and our very own, Journalist Tamica Garnett.

The Village Leader

The Pepperpot Magazine spoke to the Village Leader, Michael Chatoo, who reported that financially things are not so bright among residents but they are making use of what they have.

The 49-year-old stated that the most troubling situation among villagers is the lack of employment since the closure of the Wales Sugar Estate in 2016. He is among many men in the village who cannot find stable jobs.

The father of six added that having worked more than 30 years in the sugar industry, he would these days get a “one day, two-day work painting or construction hold-on” and although he is not versed in that field he would try.

Chatoo disclosed that he was the Shop Steward for Wales Sugar Estate and although they were to benefit from farmlands to have their own cultivation to earn that never materialised.

He said the lands were allocated to other people and presently he is residing at his elderly father’s house and would like to secure a plot to build his own house.

Chatoo alleges that 124 persons, most of whom are not sugar workers, received a lease for plots of lands.

Residents have benefitted from the government’s cash grant of $25,000 per household, but in that community many live in an extended family setting; as such, a lot of people are without the cash grant and they are upset.

Chatoo was among those who did not receive the COVID-19 cash grant.

When the team caught up with Chatoo, he was among a group of men from the village who were under a shed chatting to pass the time, a place they call their “chill spot.”

“Financially things are hard on the pockets, because this morning is pancakes I made for my children and I will re-use curtains from last year to fix up the house just to ensure the children get a good Christmas and offer them whatever I have on the table,” he said.

Chatoo reported that many men in the village would do odd jobs around the place to earn because there are no jobs for them.