By Michel Outridge

THIS week the Pepperpot Magazine visited Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo and interacted with the villagers and reported on their way of life and the community.

Tuschen Village is probably the second-largest housing area with two Phases and it extends from the main public road to way down to the backlands area and savannah.

The community is very deep and large and has an everyday market just at the entrance of the village; there is a tarmac for taxis and there are many roadside shops, stands, stalls, food businesses and various businesses in this village.

There is an abundance of grocery shops, salons, barbershops, wash bays, supermarkets, hardware stores, boutiques, poultry and meat shops, pet shops, restaurants, cookshops, pharmacies, lumber yards, stores and many other businesses ranging from small to large scale.

The village has more than 30 streets, some of which are currently being upgraded and on the access road, a walkway pavement is being constructed and that road which was in a deplorable state as the internal streets are being upgraded by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure.

Tuschen Village has a nursery school a primary school, a police outpost, a health centre, many churches, a mandir, a mosque, two playfields, and there is a lot of construction taking place in this community.

Phase One is the front section of the village, while Phase Two sits at the rear of the community and is equally populated with people of all ethnicities and some people would leave the village for work, while others have businesses and are self-employed.

The village is self-sufficient and the people are making use of their talent by utilising skills to earn and many of the people in this village hold more than one job and are very multi-talented.

The people are very accommodating and friendly and did not hesitate to have a chat while a few were not so inclined.

Tuschen Village is managed by residents, who formed the Community Development Council (CDC) and they are in the process of streamlining developmental projects to enhance the community.

Since the CDC was newly formed they are at an incubation stage and plans will be developed to have projects done.

Recently, following a village meeting with Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Indar Deodat, who is also a resident of this village, street lights were installed to illuminate a once darkened community and for that the people are very pleased.

Villagers reported that it is a nice place to live, but in the evenings some young men and youths would gather at street corners in the village and carry on a loud party, smoking illicit drugs openly and drinking alcohol late into the night and using indecent language.

There have been some break-ins of homes and some people have been victims of robberies while, walking in the community by some criminal elements.

During my walkabout in this village, some folk complained about the effects of the pandemic on their pockets, others talked about being unemployed and others are utilising their skills to become entrepreneurs, doing something to bring in a much-needed income to the home.

This village is a busy one, it hardly sleeps and there is a hive of activities almost all day and late into the night, with businesses and people traversing to go to work and return home using their own vehicles and the many taxis that operate on a short-drop basis.

Almost everything is within reach in this village and one would hardly ever have to exit the community to get fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry, eggs, hardware supplies, lumber, clothing and just about anything.

A lot of people, who originally came from the riverine islands and mainland of many villages in the Essequibo River were allocated house lots in Tuschen and after constructing their houses they relocated.

Some people are still building their houses while, living in small cottages and there is a never-ending of construction happening in this villages where more houses are being erected.

There are more than 6,000 houses with a population of more than 10,000 people of all ethnicities and walks of life.

Tuschen Village hasn’t come under the Neighbourhood Democratic Council yet and residents do not pay taxes as such, they have to maintain their own parapets, drains and other waterways within the village.

From time to time, large government-owned equipment would assist and clear the black water canal that runs throughout the village and trenches to prevent flooding and assist farmers in this community to have access to water for their crops.

Tuschen Village is a developed community and it is still developing to date.

This community is located between Vergenoegen and De Kinderen villages and is one of the largest housing schemes in Guyana.