– maximising their potential to earn and give back to society

MAHINDRANAUTH Gaya, called “Blackboy,” does his part in serving his community by providing a free boat service for the schoolchildren, and it is his way of giving back to society through simple means.

He is originally from Canal #1 Polder, West Bank Demerara and relocated to Bonasika Creek when he was only 14 years old.

Gaya came from a family of farmers and has been a farmer most of his life. Even today, he is still at it, but he is not doing farming on as large a scale as before, due to ill health, coupled with age.

He told the Pepperpot Magazine that he is a security guard attached to the Bonasika Creek Health Centre.

Gaya added that Bonasika Creek is divided into Upper and Lower. It has two schools, both primary, no secondary and two health centres.

The father of two stated that both his sons died, and he was left with six grandchildren. Two minors are still with him.

In his spare time, he has a small farm behind his house, cultivating plantains, bananas, citrus, pumpkins, ground provisions and pineapples. He sells his produce at Parika.

Gaya recalled that back in the day, he had six employees working on the farm as labourers and he had two houses for them, but he had to let them go due to many circumstances.

He pointed out that Bonasika Creek was once a very populated place, but due to schooling at the secondary level, a lot of people left and relocated.

Speaking about his volunteer work in the village, Gaya stated that on school days, he would pick up six children from their respective homes and take them to school and would also do the same from school to their homes after classes, free of charge.

Gaya uses his own speedboat and gasoline and doesn’t receive any form of payment.

“I began doing this volunteer work because I know the difficulties faced by the people here, and I wanted to assist, even though I am not financially rich and it feels good to,” he said.

He works as a security guard doing two shifts among three colleagues from 14:00hrs to 11:00hrs and at 11:00hrs to 07:00hrs.

Gaya has been a security guard for the past eight years with no salary increase.

As for community development, he related that the kokers need to be dredged, and the drainage network should be upgraded to farming production.

Gaya added that the Ministry of Agriculture has promised to lend support to farmers in terms of adding coconut and shrimp production in Bonasika Creek for the creation of jobs and increasing the livelihoods of the locals.

He stated that equipment was also expected to be delivered to the community to assist farmers.

The volunteer added that Bonasika Creek is a good place to live because it is scenic and safe with good people who assist each other.

At 72 years old, Gaya still has a burst of energy like a teenager, and beside his wife, they make an enterprising couple despite ill health and other challenges.

Chandroutie Gaya
Meanwhile, Gaya’s wife, Chandroutie is a housewife/a shop owner and a Neighbourhood Police attached to the Bonasika Creek Police Station.

She told the Pepperpot Magazine that at 16 years old she came to Bonasika creek to live with her family and years later got married to Mahindranauth Gaya and they have two children.

Gaya is originally from Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara, but her father went to work at Bonasika Creek on farms as a labourer.

Gaya reported that she used to do domestic work to assist in bringing in an income to the home, and they were tasked with taking care of four grandchildren left behind by their dead son.

She explained that at age 32, her son died, and the other one passed on at 26 and it had been difficult to cope, but they tried their best to recover from the loss of their loved ones.

Gaya stated that after domestic work became too much for her, she started to buy and sell from her home, and it was then an idea of opening a shop was birthed.

She added that she began rearing some chickens too and would later join the Neighbourhood Policing Group, working half day at the police station since 2011.

Gaya reported that she would participate in river patrols along with three other members and they work with guidance from the police, whose ranks would come from Parika.

“I cannot swim, and I fell overboard, was in the water for a while, before being rescued; as such, I developed a problem in my ears, and I cannot hear well anymore,” she said.

Even with this disability, she does whatever needs to be done to earn and keep a home.