JOEL Moore is a simple man, who is trying to eke out an honest living at Train Line Street, Rosignol, West Coast Berbice.

The 37-year-old has been living there for the past three years and before that, he resided in another section of the villager where he was renting.

To get away from paying a rent, Moore took his family to the squatting area and erected a modest wooden house.

He was on his way to do a painting job and he is also a weeder man in the village.

The father of two told the Pepperpot Magazine that he was a full-time snow cone vendor at Bush Lot Secondary School before COVID-19, and after the virus hit these shores, he had to quit it.

His job came to a halt when schools closed their doors indefinitely.

He had to look for another job and became a mason with people in the community, doing jobs whenever it was available.

“These days I don’t get steady work, so when I get a day job or so, I take it, because I am only working to feed my family since the wide do not work,” he said.

Moore had been paying rent for 10 years and became cash-strapped due to the unavailability of work and he had no other choice but to occupy a plot of land in Train Line Street.

His house rent was $12,000 per month and it was difficult to come up with that lump sum every month.

Apart from not getting a steady job, Moore says he is trying to put food on the table and is hopeful things will get better in time.

His wife, Sasha Fordyce, is a homemaker and has her hands full with two boys.

“On Christmas Day, some people came bearing toys and goodies for the children and that put a smile on their faces and for that I was glad,” he said.

The mom of four
In Cross Dam is the home of Deslyn Davis, who is a full-time, stay-at-home mom of four children, while her husband was away on a fishing expedition as a fisherman.

The 24-year-old has been living there for the past two years after relocating from another part of the village.

Davis stated that she is living in her brother’s house, he is away for the next two years and the place was empty.

The wooden cottage is a neat house which had Christmas decorations and lights.

“I like it here because I have no neighbours and the place is very quiet and peaceful, the way any village should be,” she said.

Monique Loncke
Monique Loncke is a resident of Bennett Dam, Rosignol Village, West Coast Berbice and has been living there for the past two and a half years.

She told the Pepperpot Magazine that life in the country is quiet and peaceful and the people are neighbourly.

“During the holidays, we did not have a good time because it rained a lot and the place was flooded for days, so the children had to be indoors,” she said.

The mother of two related that she is living at her father-in-law’s house and is a housewife, who is rearing some chickens and ducks.

Due to the flood, she lost some of the chickens.

Loncke added that they did not let the floods dampen their Christmas and they shared cake and other goodies with the neighbours.

Life is said to be fair in that section of the village, which is a squatting area.

Yulanda Amsterdam
Next door is the home of Yulanda Amsterdam, whose husband is the first settler in the village.

The 36-year-old stated that her husband Michael Thomas was the first man to clear a plot of land and began living there more than 20 years ago.

He constructed a little house and started to mind horses, donkeys and cattle.

Amsterdam pointed out that when her husband moved there was no electricity or running water and the place was very bushy.

Back then, it was a mud dam and after the place was developed into a scheme, they began rearing chickens, ducks, cows and even more horses and donkeys.

The mother of three related that life is good there, except that it is very dark at nights and needs some street lights.

“This place nice, but it needs a bit more developing to enhance our lives and the people have no race issues,” she said.